


High School Confidential

by BellaLeigh



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Teen Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:19:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 43,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27975702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellaLeigh/pseuds/BellaLeigh
Summary: Fifteen year old Hayley Marshall is the new girl in school, having just moved in with her aunt and uncle over the summer. Things get complicated enough when she not only runs into her summer fling, but finds herself crushing on his older brother. And then she discovers that said summer fling has consequences that are going to affect the rest of her life.Being a teenage mother is nobody's idea of a fairy tale. Getting dragged into the Mikaelson family drama certainly doesn't make things easier.And none of this is helped by the fact that she might be having Klaus's baby - but it's Elijah that she finds herself dreaming of a future with.
Relationships: Hayley Marshall/Elijah Mikaelson
Comments: 17
Kudos: 27





	1. It's the morning of your very first day

**Author's Note:**

> I am going to be using various song lyrics as my chapter titles. Because of this being a high school AU, my theme will be songs written and/or recorded by teenagers.
> 
> The title for chapter 1 is from Fifteen by Taylor Swift

“Another school year, another new school.”

“Yeah, but this is your last new school until you go away to college.”

“Yeah. We’ll see.”

Eve rolled her eyes. “Come on Hales. My dad isn’t going to kick his baby brother’s only child out, now that he knows you exist. You’re stuck with us.”

“Ooo… new girl! Are you a freshman or a transfer?”

Hayley blinked at the perky blonde girl that appeared out of nowhere. “Umm… transfer. I’m a sophomore.”

“Same as me. Who do you have for homeroom? Actually, never mind that. Let me see your schedule.”

“Honestly, Caroline. Can you not try to scare the new girl away?” The brunette stuck her hand out. “I’m Elena Gilbert. Miss nosy here is Caroline Forbes. I’d say that she’s not always like this, but that would be a lie. Do you have a name?”

Hayley laughed and shook Elena’s hand. “I’m Hayley. Hayley Marshall. I’m Eve’s cousin. Her parents are fostering me.” No point in trying to pretend that her family was normal. Better to be honest now, and weed out the pretentious bitches who would stick their noses up at a foster kid for not having parents.

“Fostering? So, your parents are dead? You have something in common with Elena, then. Her parents died in a car accident last year. Her aunt takes care of her and her younger brother, now. How did your parents die, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Caroline! Enough! We are not going to interrogate the poor girl on her first day.”

Caroline gave a dramatic sigh. “Fine! But, promise me, Hayley, that we can dish, later.”

“I can’t imagine I’m actually going to get through an entire school year without ending up telling you my entire life story.”

“It’s like you already know me.”

But then Hayley’s attention was grabbed by the group of boys standing near the stairs. One in particular caught her eye. Tall, dark hair, a smile that lit up his entire face. And intense dark eyes that she realized a moment too late were looking right into hers. She flushed and looked away. “So, who’s the hottie?”

“Which one? We do seem to be rather blessed in that department around here.”

“The tall one with dark hair.”

“I repeat. Which one? You know what? Never mind. Allow me to take you on a tour of who’s who in NOLA Central High. Since you’re looking that way, we’ll start with the boys hanging out by the stairs. I will start by saying that you have good taste. Most of the movers and shakers of our little world are over there. So, going from left to right. First up, is Damon Salvatore. Senior. He is also very taken, by our own lucky Miss Elena Gilbert.”

Elena laughed and preened. “Guilty as charged.”

“Next up is Damon’s little brother Stefan. Junior. And currently dating Lexi Branson. Then we have Kol Mikaelson. Sophomore. He’s one of our local bad boys. Still hasn’t found a girl worth going out with more than once. Then there’s Marcel Gerard. Junior. Also currently single. He’s also a foster kid, like you and Elena. Though, his situation is a bit different. He’s not living with family, he’s in an actual foster home. Kind of a sucky home life, but he’s a good guy. And tends to be very protective of all the younger kids. You should have seen him back when we were in grade school. Put the fear of God into quite a few bullies who thought that the first and second graders were easy targets. Anyway… Then there’s Lorenzo St John. Enzo to his friends. Junior. And… his relationship status is currently a question mark. There have been rumors about him and Bonnie Bennett, but neither are confirming or denying, not even to me and Elena. And, last but not least in that group is Elijah Mikaelson. Senior. He’s Kol’s older brother. And, the last time I checked, he was single. But, you never really know with him. Elena?”

“He’s not back with Katherine, if that’s what you’re asking. I think she has finally managed to piss him off for the last time. Which, I say good for him. He deserves way better than her.”

Hayley’s head was reeling. There was a lot of information that Caroline had just thrown at her all at once. She was going to be lucky if she could even match the names to the faces, later. Though, there were two names that kept playing over and over in her head. Kol and Elijah Mikaelson. She really hoped that was a coincidence. But, before she could ask if there was a third Mikaelson brother, Caroline had grabbed her shoulders and physically turned her to look at another, smaller group of boys.

“And then, if you like your boys a bit on the scruffy side, we have Jackson Kenner and his cousin Oliver Randolph, both juniors. Also both single. Personally, I think that the cutest of the Kenner clan is their cousin Aiden Lovett. But, unfortunately, I am not Aiden’s type.”

“And, what is Aiden’s type?” Hayley didn’t really care. He was cute enough, but she already couldn’t get Elijah Mikaelson out of her mind. Of course, this was not helped by the possible complication posed by his last name, and the possibility of her already knowing somebody here other than Eve.

Elena laughed. “Let’s just say that none of us are Aiden’s type.”

“Ohhh… I see. He’d rather join us in ogling the boys than go out with us, I take it?”

“Exactly. Anyway… That’s most of the interesting boys around here. There are a few more that either aren’t here, yet, or have already gone inside. But, now to point out some of the girls. Now, obviously, falling in with me and Elena will do wonders for you. And we’ll introduce you to Bonnie when she gets here. The other girls I think you’ll like are Lexi Branson and Cami O’Connell. Lexi is a junior, and as I’ve mentioned is dating Stefan. Cami is a sophomore, and is single. She’s also having a rough time. Her twin brother killed himself over the summer. It was pretty horrible. I guess not even she saw it coming.” And then Caroline turned her again. “And, then we have the bitch squad.”

“Bitch squad?”

“The girls who all think they’re better than everyone else. The leader of the group is Katherine Pierce. Who just happens to be Elena’s… cousin… sister… it’s all very confusing. I’ll let Elena explain that to you, later. She’s a senior, and has a kind of on again, off again thing with Elijah. Currently off. Personally, I think that was probably actually just sex. Because, as gorgeous as she is, I can’t imagine what else he could have possibly seen in her. Then we have Francesca Guerrera. Senior. Pretty much Katherine’s second in command. Celeste Dubois is another one of Elijah’s exes. She’s a junior. Then we have Aurora de Martel. Junior. And… crazy as all fuck. Like… she should either be on serious meds or in an institution. The other redhead is Genevieve. Sophomore. Straight A student. Tries to pretend to be nice, and usually is a bit nicer than the rest, but definitely catty in her own right. And anybody that willingly hangs out with Katherine and Francesca is automatically suspect.”

And then Hayley saw him. Klaus Mikaelson. He had that same swagger that had caught her attention at camp. And she barely kept herself from swearing. She didn’t need this. She really didn’t.

“And then we have Klaus Mikaelson. Short for Niklaus. But, the only one that calls him by his full name is Elijah. Even the teachers all call him Klaus. He’s a junior. And, one hundred percent single.”

Elena piped up, then. “And one hundred percent a total ass.”

“True. He is definitely an ass. But, you have to admit that he also has a _cute_ ass.”

It was actually Eve who started laughing at that one. “Caroline has wanted in Klaus Mikaelson’s pants since… honestly, before she even knew what that meant. She’s been in love with him for years.”

“I am not in love with him. I actually can’t stand him. This does not stop me from wanting to let him do deliciously wicked things to me that would make it so I can’t walk for a week. And then, once I’ve had my fill of that body, he can go bother someone else.”

Hayley couldn’t help laughing at that. And she also couldn’t help thinking that Caroline had one thing right. Klaus Mikaelson was damn good in bed. Not that she had any intention of letting her new friends know that she knew that. She just hoped that Klaus would also keep his mouth shut about just how he had spent his summer vacation — and who he had spent it with. “Well, it was certainly nice meeting you both. And I really do mean that. But, if I’m going to actually be in any of my classes, today, I should go attempt to learn my way around. I’ll see you girls later? We can dish about my family, and Elena can explain her relationship with Katherine?”

“You’re not just blowing us off, are you?”

“Of course not. I think I like you, already. But, I seriously need to try to at least find my homeroom and my locker. Hopefully I’ll have some classes with you. And, if not, we can meet up after school?”

“Yeah. Definitely. Hey! You never told us which boy was the hottie you were asking about, earlier. Unless… it wasn’t Damon, was it?”

Hayley shook her head. “Nope. Not Damon. Elena is safe from me. And, that’s all I’m going to say for right now. I’ll talk to you, later.” And then she grabbed Eve’s arm and dragged her past the boys standing on the stairs and into the school. “Where can we go to talk without anybody hearing us? Because this cannot wait until we get home.”

Eve looked concerned, but she led the way into an empty classroom. “Okay, what’s up?”

“Remember that boy I told you about? From camp?”

“Yeah. What about him?” And then her eyes widened as she realized what Hayley was about to say. “He’s here, isn’t he? Your summer fling goes to school with us.”

“Klaus Mikaelson. I’ve slept with Klaus fucking Mikaelson. And the boy I was asking about is Elijah.”

“So… you’ve slept with Klaus, and now you’re already crushing on his older brother? Well, aren’t you in for an interesting school year?”

“This isn’t funny, Eve! What am I going to do? I don’t want it becoming public knowledge that I’ve slept with Klaus. I don’t want to be branded the school slut before I even really get to know anybody.”

“You won’t be. Trust me. That title has already been claimed. But, seriously. Just take a few deep breaths. Maybe find Klaus and talk to him. Get him to agree to keep his mouth shut about knowing you. It probably won’t be that hard. For all that he’s a major player, he’s also not really the kiss and tell type. It’s the girls he’s slept with that end up making it known that they’ve slept with him. For some reason I will never understand, a lot of girls around here seem to think of sleeping with Klaus Mikaelson as some sort of rite of passage. Don’t ask me to explain it. I don’t see the appeal. I mean, nothing against your taste in boys. He is certainly cute enough. I just don’t get why anyone who sleeps with him ends up wanting to make sure that everyone knows about it. The girls around here are so weird.”

Hayley just laughed. “Well, I should probably actually do what I came in early to do and find my first few classes. I’ll see you later.”

**~High School Confidential~**

Elijah always enjoyed the first day of school. Which probably made him weird. Granted, it wasn’t so much his classes that he was particularly interested in. It was having all of his friends in one place, without a bunch of phone calls and spending so much time trying to decide what they were going to do that they never actually did anything. And, this was his senior year. Which meant that this time next year, they were all going to go their separate ways. It was kind of depressing. Growing up kind of sucked.

And then his attention was caught by a pretty brunette he had never seen before. Which meant that she was either a freshman or a transfer student. And, of course, Caroline had already latched onto her. Which could be a good thing. He could ask Caroline or Elena about her, later.

He didn’t even realize that she had looked towards them, until his eyes latched onto hers. He knew the instant she realized that he was looking at her, because she blushed and looked away. Hmm… interesting.

“Earth to Elijah.”

“Sorry, Damon. I got a bit distracted.”

Damon glanced over at the girls and chuckled. “New girl is kind of cute. Lucky for you, I’m in love with Elena. Less competition. Though, maybe we should all be glad you’ve found someone new to try to get into your bed. Does this mean you’re finally done with Katherine for good?”

Elijah rolled his eyes. “Does everything have to be about sex with you? I’m just curious about her, is all. Doesn’t mean I want to sleep with her.” He pointedly ignored the line about Katherine. They were definitely over for good, this time. And his friends all knew it — even if she didn’t seem to want to believe that.

“Of course not. The noble Elijah doesn’t sleep with just anyone. He has to be in love. Which… I’m not sure actually explains Katherine.”

Elijah glared at his younger brother. “Shut up, you. Remember that I know where you sleep.”

And then his friends and his brother started doing what they all do best — teasing him. Sometimes he wondered why he hung out with these people. Granted, he was pretty much stuck with Kol. And Niklaus, for that matter. But, most of the rest of his friends were a total mystery, even to him.

When he didn’t rise to their bait, they eventually decided that teasing him wasn’t any fun. At least he had that going for him. Ignore these idiots long enough, and they eventually found something else to talk about. In this case, it was trying to get Enzo to tell them what was actually going on between him and Bonnie Bennett.

“Seriously, are you dating her or not? Not even Elena can get a straight answer out of her. This is crazy.”

“Mind your own business. Which Bonnie and I are none of.”

Elijah couldn’t help but keep one eye on the new girl, watching as Caroline turned her to point certain people out to her. He couldn’t help but be glad for the girl’s sake that Caroline, Elena, and Eve had taken her under their wing. Much better than her falling in with Katherine and her crowd.

She was coming towards them, dragging Eve along with her. Elijah blinked, but didn’t get a chance to say anything as the girls both walked straight past them and into the school.

“Oof. Well, that was certainly interesting. We all just got completely ignored. I’m a bit insulted.”

“Honestly, Kol. Shut up. Don’t you have anything better to think about?”

“Says the dude who hasn’t taken his eyes off of her since he first noticed her. You gonna pretend not to be interested?”

He didn’t have time to answer, because the one person he really didn’t want to talk to was suddenly there, her hand on his arm possessively. “Elijah, hey. We should compare schedules. See if we have any classes together.” The look she gave him was seductive, and a few months ago, he would have taken her up on her obvious invitation. But, things were different now.

He pulled his arm away from her. “Hello Katherine. Honestly, I don’t really see the point in comparing schedules. Except that it would make it easier for me to avoid you. I believe I’ve told you that we’re over.”

“So you’ve said. But, you’ve said that before. It’s okay. You’ll change your mind, again. You always do. Just don’t take your time. I might not be waiting for you when you do.”

“Not this time, Katherine. So, please. Move on. It would make both of our lives easier. We’re over. Get that through your head.”

She pouted at him, then kissed his cheek. “I’ll believe that when I see it.” When she walked away, there was a swing to her hips that was obviously meant to be for his benefit. But, he didn’t really pay attention. Which would probably piss her off, if she knew that he wasn’t watching her. Not that he cared.

“Well, it seems that Katherine is still not taking the hint. She certainly is a persistent little thing, isn’t she?” Where Niklaus had come from was anybody's guess. He was like a ninja, sometimes.

“She’s annoying is what she is. Where did you leave our little sister?”

“She has latched onto Davina and is looking out for her. I guess there’s already been some kind of trouble at orientation, so Rebekah doesn’t want to leave her alone.”

Marcel frowned. “What kind of trouble? And why wasn’t I told?”

“Probably because they knew that you would react like this. Davina isn’t a child, Marcel. Between her and Rebekah, she should be fine. And, if they run into trouble that they can’t deal with, well… Between us”, Niklaus waved his hand at the group of friends, “we have friends and spies in every grade level except the freshmen. Don’t worry. We’ll look out for your foster sister the same as we look out for our own sister. Won’t we, boys?”

“Of course. Davina is going to be fine, Marcel. Damon, you’ll let Elena know to look out for her?”

“Absolutely. And once Elena is on it, so is Caroline. Actually, come to think of it, we also have friends in the freshman class, too. Once I let Elena know, she can also talk to Jeremy. We’ve got her back, Marcel. Relax.”

“Now then. We should get back to the new girl that Elijah already seems to be crushing on.”

“I am not crushing on her. Do I think she’s pretty? Absolutely. But, since that is currently all I know about her, I have no other opinion about her. I don’t even know her name.”

“Well, Elena and Caroline can change that. And, obviously she already knows Eve Labonair.” Stefan’s eyes widened. “Lexi had mentioned something about Eve’s cousin coming to live with her. That must be who the new girl is.”

“So, she’s pretty, and she’s Eve’s cousin. That is still not a whole lot to go on.” He shook his head. “Anyway. I’m going to get going. What do you think the odds are of me actually managing to avoid Katherine for the entire school year?”

Enzo laughed. “Well, even if you manage to not have any classes with her, unless you’re planning on not participating in any functions, including Homecoming and Prom, you’re going to have to deal with her, eventually. Might as well just accept it.”

“My life would be so much easier if she would just take a fucking hint. But, no. Not Katherine.”

“Yes, well. You did this to yourself. It might be easier for her to accept no as your final answer if this was the first time you had said it. But, considering how many times you’ve broken up with her and then taken her back, I’m not sure I blame her for thinking this is going to be just like all the other times.”

“Great. Thank you so much for that assessment of my love life, Niklaus. I’m so glad that I have you idiots here to explain to me what I did wrong, and why I now seem to have a stalker. Wonderful. I’m going to go find my locker and get to homeroom. If I don’t see you before then, I guess I’ll see you at home.”

And with that he slung his backpack over his shoulder, turned and walked into the school. He lucked out, Katherine was nowhere to be found. And, even better luck, the new girl was. And looked slightly lost. “Need some help?”

“I can’t find my homeroom. For that matter, I also can’t find my locker. I’m officially lost. And feeling like an idiot. I’m in tenth grade and this is like my sixth new school. You would think I’d be used to this. But, no.”

He laughed. “Well, you’ve just answered one question. I was going to ask if you were a freshman or a transfer. I will never understand why they don’t include the transfer students in orientation.”

“They actually did, but I was at summer camp, so I missed it. I had far too much confidence in my ability to find my way around a new school, since I’m used to it. Pride goeth before the fall, as they say.” She bit her lip, and he couldn’t help the way his eyes darted to her mouth. “I’m Hayley, by the way.”

“I’m Elijah.”

“I know. Umm… I’ve already met Caroline Forbes. She gave me a bit of a who’s who.”

“Yes. I’m familiar with Caroline. Bit of a busybody, but she means well. And, there are definitely worse people you could have become friends with. I mean… do you like her?”

“I actually do. Her and Elena Gilbert both seem really nice. It was sweet of them to come talk to me and kind of help me get my bearings. Even if they did choose to help me get my bearings more on the people than on the damn maze you all call a school.”

Elijah laughed. “It may seem a bit confusing, but I promise that it’s not quite that bad. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize that there actually is a method to the madness. I should draw you a map. But, in the meantime, what’s your locker number? I’ll help you at least get started. Also, once you’ve found your locker, you’ll also find your homeroom. Our lockers are right outside our homerooms.”

Hayley handed him her schedule, and he noticed the way she flushed when their hands brushed. He couldn’t help liking that she seemed to be affected by him, too. Though it really was kind of crazy. He didn’t even know this girl. He was just trying to be helpful. Though, a part of him knew that at least part of his wanting to help her was that it gave him a chance to spend a few more minutes with her.

He looked at the paper and smiled. Well, this should be easy enough, actually. “Okay. This is actually pretty easy. At least until lunch. Your locker is across the hall from mine, and your morning classes are all in that same hallway.” And then he actually noticed when her lunch period was. “Oh! This is perfect! We have lunch together. So, I can help you with your afternoon classes, then. Because, I admit that it gets more complicated in the afternoon.” He handed her back her schedule and held his hand out to take the notebooks she was carrying. “Don’t you have a backpack?”

She looked at him curiously before handing him her notebooks. It occurred to him that it was like she didn’t know what he was trying to do. Which made no sense. He highly doubted that a girl who looked like that had never had a boy offer to carry her books for her. “I do. I managed to forget it, today. First day at a new school jitters, I guess. I mean, honestly, this is a bit easier than it usually is. I at least started out knowing someone. Which is new for me.”

“You move around a lot? Well, obviously, if you’ve gone to six different schools in ten years. Army brat?”

“Foster care.”

“Oh. Sorry. I have a friend in foster care. But, he didn’t do a lot of moving around.”

“Marcel. Yeah, Caroline told me about him, too. Interestingly, he is practically the only one I know more about than what grade you’re all in, and who is dating who.” She flushed again, and Elijah bit back a laugh as he realized that she was trying not to comment on his own single status.

“Well, to be fair, that is pretty much Caroline’s idea of pertinent information. Age, relationship status, and where we fall on your personal good looks meter. She’s been boy crazy since kindergarten. I don’t see that changing any time soon. But, she definitely means well. And, she’s not threatened by anyone.”

“Threatened by anyone?”

He looked over at her for a minute. “I’m not going to lie. There are girls here who are going to see you as competition. Caroline isn’t the only one who is all about who is dating who, and which boy they currently wish they were dating. And, not all of them have her self confidence. Caroline just wants everyone to be happy. And, in her mind, that means properly paired up. And while she would love for that to include herself, she’s not catty about it, and tends to go into shipper on deck mode whenever she sees two people who seem to have a thing for each other. Not all the girls around here feel the same way.”

“The bitch squad.”

Elijah rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m actually glad that Caroline pointed them out to you. But, yes. Katherine Pierce and her friends are… something else. Watch out for them, Hayley. They can be major bitches.” And he had dated two of them. Because he was an idiot who thought he saw sides to them that nobody else did. “And this… me walking you to class and helping you find your way around? Katherine is the type to jump to conclusions — and be pissed about it. Even though it’s none of her damn business, anymore. So, watch your back. And if you would rather I hand you your stuff back and leave you to your own devices, I get it. We’ll get one of the girls to help you.”

“I’m a foster kid who changes schools and homes almost every damn year. I’ve had my share of dealing with catty bitches. I’m not afraid of your ex. Besides, you’re just trying to be nice. It’s not like either of us wants in the other one’s pants, right? If your ex-girlfriend is so insecure that you’re not allowed to have friends, or be nice to someone who is completely fucking lost, then… I see why she’s your ex, and not current.”

“All right then. Anyway… we’re right up these stairs.”

She laughed at that. “You were really going to abandon me this close to my locker? Gee, thanks.”

“Nah. At this point, since I'm heading there, anyway, I still would have shown you to your homeroom. I just wouldn't have carried your books the rest of the way, and I would have gotten someone else to show you around after that.” They walked up the last flight of stairs to the hallway that contained both of their lockers, and Hayley’s morning classes. “Your homeroom is here, and this is your locker. Your first actual class is right across the hall. Which just happens to be the same room that my homeroom is in. So, I’ll see you between classes.” He waited until he was sure she could get her locker open, and then handed her notebooks back. “And Hayley? Don’t be afraid to ask people for help. Stay away from Katherine and her friends as much as you can, but most of the rest of the kids here are nice enough. I’m sure that Caroline and Elena pointed out your best bets. Because, for all that she seemed to just be giving a rundown of who is dating who, she actually only notices that in the people she likes. But, anybody, really. Nobody is going to give you a hard time for not knowing your way around, and we’ll all be more than willing to help you.”

She smiled at him, and he couldn’t help but smile back. “Thanks. I guess I’m not really used to that. Last year wasn’t so bad, because as a freshman, everyone is new. But, when you’re the new girl in a class that already has its cliques… making friends can be hard.”

“I understand that. But, really. You’re already making friends. I won’t say that you have nothing to worry about. But, you can definitely do worse than hanging out with Caroline, Elena, and their group. Anyway… I should let you get settled in. I’ll see you after homeroom, and then at lunch.” And then he opened his own locker, shoved his backpack into it, and went into his classroom before he started babbling like an idiot.

**~High School Confidential~**

Hayley couldn’t help watching Elijah as he walked into his classroom. It seemed that having cute asses ran in the Mikaelson family. Not that she had any business noticing that about Elijah, right now. He was a senior, and way out of her league. Plus, it would be too weird, getting involved with him after sleeping with his brother. But, as much as she tried to tell herself that, she couldn’t keep herself from admiring the view.

She looked at her watch. She still had a few minutes, and she had noticed a ladies restroom just down the hall as she and Elijah had been walking to their lockers. She ran to quickly deal with that while she had a chance before things got crazy.

By the time she made it into her homeroom, there were only two seats empty. Neither Caroline or Elena were in her class, but she noticed three of the people they had pointed out to her. And all of them were next to one of the empty seats. Her choices were sitting next to Genevieve, or between Cami and Aiden. Well, that was a no-brainer. She took the seat next to Cami.

“I’m sorry, that seat’s tak…” She trailed off.

“Oh! Sorry. I’ll go sit somewhere else.”

“No. It’s fine. I just… Forgot for a minute that the person I was holding the seat for… isn’t coming.” There were tears in the blonde’s eyes, and Hayley bit back a gasp as she realized. Cami’s twin… They had been in the same homeroom, and would have sat together.

“I’m sorry. Are you sure it’s okay for me to sit here? I really can move, if you need me to.”

“You already know, don’t you? I mean, you’re new. So, I don’t know how you would know…”

“The first person I met this morning was Caroline Forbes. She pointed a few people out to me. People she thought I might like. A few she wanted to warn me to stay away from. You and Aiden were both on that first list, which is why I sat here. But, seriously. If you want to leave the seat open, I would totally understand.”

“No. It’s… it’s fine. I think that having somebody else sitting there would be less painful than looking over and seeing an empty seat all year. I have enough empty places where Sean should be at home, you know? Maybe one less empty chair would be a good thing.” She wiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry. If you had met me last year, you would know that I’m not always like this. I’m just still… not doing too well.”

Hayley nodded. “I understand. Trust me. I mean… I’m not going to say that I’ve ever been where you are. Only people I’ve ever lost were my parents, and I don’t remember them. But, I still understand. I can’t even imagine what you must be going through.”

Cami gave her a weak smile. “So, you’ve met Caroline, and she pointed you towards me and Aiden? Was that before or after she pointed out all the cutest boys in the school?”

Hayley laughed. “After the boys and before the bitch squad. Which—”

“Is another reason you sat here. Staying away from Genevieve? I don’t blame you. Honestly, that’s another reason for me to let you sit here. Don’t want to subject you to her any sooner than necessary.”

“I’m curious as to where I fall in Caroline’s who’s who.”

“You are the cutest of the Kenner clan, and it’s a shame that she isn’t your type.”

Aiden laughed at that. “Well, I'll take that as a compliment. Though I’m sure that I fall much lower than a few other boys I could mention. One in particular. Except, I won’t mention him, because Miss O’Connell here also kind of has a thing for him.”

Great. So, Cami was crushing on Klaus. One more person who just might end up hating Hayley, later. Sometimes she really hated her life.

**~High School Confidential~**

Homeroom consisted of taking attendance, and announcements. Basically pretty boring. Especially on the first day, when there weren’t a lot of announcements to be made. Hayley quietly compared schedules with Cami and Aiden and found herself disappointed that she wouldn’t be with either of them all morning, or at lunch. Though, she did have Cami in her Geometry class, and Aiden in Chemistry.

“If Caroline or Elena aren’t with us, do you want to be lab partners?”

“Really? There’s nobody you would rather be paired up with?”

“Not particularly, no. My best friend is my cousin Jackson. Who is not in our grade and took Chemistry last year.”

“I’ll go you one better, then. I’ll be your lab partner even if Caroline or Elena are there. If you’re sure you want me?”

“It’s a deal, then. I’ll see you in Chemistry.”

Hayley smiled. And then the bell rang and they all grabbed their notebooks and filed out. Her smile widened as she saw Elijah leaning against his locker. “You’re in here next period. Unfortunately, this is going to be the last time I’m in this hallway, except for quick runs to my locker. But, I’ll meet you here, and walk with you to lunch? I’ve already started on your map. We’ll go over it at lunch, and I’ll mark your best routes for getting from class to class, and your best bets for when to run to your locker. Okay?”

“Sounds like a plan, yeah.” Her face was going to split open if her smile got any wider. “But, I should let you get to class. I’ll see you before lunch.”

Elijah nodded. “I’ll see you before lunch. Have a good morning, Hayley.” And then he was gone.

Hayley had just walked into her classroom, when she heard a far too familiar voice. “Hello, love. Fancy seeing you here.”

Hayley just stared at him for a minute. Klaus Mikaelson was in her History class. Perfect. Just perfect.

  
  


  
  



	2. I don't Belong To Anybody, But Everybody Knows My Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hayley's first day of school is mostly spent meeting most of the people Caroline pointed out to her. Starting with a confrontation with Klaus, and ending with her most anticipated class becoming the one she's going to dread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from Copycat by Billie Eilish

“Klaus Mikaelson. Just the boy I didn’t want to see.” She turned around and walked to the back corner of the room, taking a seat.

To her annoyance, Klaus took the seat next to her. “Now, come on. Is that any way to act? I thought we had fun, this summer.”

“That was this summer. This is now. There won’t be a repeat.”

He shrugged. “I wasn’t asking for one. I mean, it was certainly enjoyable, but we both knew what it was. And I am not boyfriend material.”

“I didn’t ask if you were.”

“Seriously, Hayley? Are you going to tell me why you seem mad at me? I honestly have no idea what I did so wrong.”

“You exist. Right now, that’s enough.” She sighed when she saw the hurt look on his face. “Look. It’s nothing against you. This summer was good. But, it needs to stay in the past. All of it. For the first time in my life I am starting a new school knowing damn well that I am actually going to be here for the duration. And I don’t want to start with a reputation.”

“And you’re afraid that I’m going to go blabbing about things?” When she nodded, he sighed. “I don’t kiss and tell, Hayley. Whatever you may have heard about me from anyone you’ve met earlier today. Nobody needs to know anything about this summer. I mean, I’m not going to pretend not to know you. But, there is no reason in the world for anybody to make the leap from we went to camp together to… exactly what happened there. Don’t worry. I can be your dirty little secret.”

“Thank you. But, this still doesn’t make us friends.”

“I wouldn’t dream that it does, love. I believe you made your opinion of me quite known over the summer. I was just surprised to see you here, is all. I’m not looking for anything.”

“Good. Then we’re in agreement? It never happened. At least as far as anyone else knows.”

“We’re in agreement.”

They fell into silence after that. After all, other than the fact that they had slept together, they really had nothing to talk about. They had discovered early on that they had almost nothing in common, except the bad home life that neither of them cared to talk about. In fact, she pretty much agreed with Elena’s opinion of him. The boy was a total ass.

Hayley snorted at that thought. Actually, it turned out that that was something she had in common with Caroline. She couldn’t stand Klaus Mikaelson. But, she had been more than happy to let him do things to her that made it hard for her to walk. And now, she was more than happy to let him go annoy somebody else.

She tried not to think of a pair of dark brown eyes looking at her in concern. Of a voice that shot straight to her groin. Of the way that just his fingers brushing against hers sent a jolt of electricity down her spine that nothing else ever had. Of the boy who was busy drawing her a map of the school to help her find her way around. Because she really didn’t need the complication that Elijah Mikaelson would put in her life. Right. Like he would be interested in her, anyway. He was a senior who had dated Katherine Pierce. Hayley had to admit that the girl was fucking gorgeous. Any boy who could get into Katherine’s pants was hardly going to give shy little sophomore Hayley Marshall a second look. He was just being nice.

Towards the end of class, Klaus reached over and slipped a folded piece of paper onto her desk. She raised an eyebrow at him before picking it up and opening it.  _So, just out of curiosity, is there somebody in particular you don’t want to know about us?_

She glared at him, and wasn’t at all amused by the smirk he gave her. The boy was insufferable. But, he also was obviously not going to let this go. She knew that determined look on his face. She sighed and wrote under it.  _Not that it’s any of your business, but no. Now can we please just drop this?_ She refolded it and when the teacher turned to the blackboard, she slipped it onto Klaus’s desk.

As he read it, his smirk got wider. But, he ripped the note up and shoved the pieces into his pocket. So, at least he was being careful not to let anyone know what they were talking about. Maybe she really could trust him to keep his mouth shut.

She had never been so happy to hear a school bell ring. Though she groaned when it occurred to her that she was going to have to deal with him for an entire school year. Perfect. She grabbed her books and stood up to leave.

And found herself blocked. “So, love. Care to share?”

“And just what is it that I’m supposed to be sharing?”

“Come on. You can tell me. Who’s your crush? Because your note said nobody, but the way you blushed when you read my note said something else entirely.”

“I repeat. None of your business. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to class. See you tomorrow, Klaus.” She pushed her way past him and into the hallway.

She briefly considered going to her locker since it was right there. But, she was seriously afraid that if Klaus found out where her locker was, he would find even more ways to annoy her. And she really was not in the mood. So, she just ran down the hallway to her English class.

**~High School Confidential~**

Where she was confronted by yet another Mikaelson. Who immediately walked up to her. “Hello, there. Since you’re new here, and in this class, I’m assuming you’re a transfer student?”

“Yes. I’m a transfer student. I’m Hayley Marshall. And you’re Kol Mikaelson.”

“My reputation precedes me, I see. Should I be worried?”

“The first person I met today was Caroline Forbes. _Everybody’s_ reputation precedes them. And if you should be worried depends entirely on if you expect me to be another notch on your belt. Because I’ll tell you right now that it’s not going to happen.” 

There was laughter behind her. “Damn boy! I guess she told you!”

Kol rolled his eyes. “You know, for once, I was just trying to be nice. And this is what I get. I see how it is. Well, since it seems that my help is not wanted, I’m just going to find a seat.” And with that he turned and slumped into the first seat next to the door, doing his best to look affronted.

Hayley giggled and turned to the girl behind her. “Is he always like that?”

“He’s a Mikaelson. They are nothing if not dramatic. Have you had the pleasure of meeting any of the others?”

Hayley nodded. “Elijah helped me find my locker, this morning. And it turns out that Klaus and I went to summer camp, together. He’s also in my World History class.”

“Elijah is certainly the helpful sort. I’m Bonnie Bennett, by the way. If you’ve already met Caroline, you’ve probably heard of me. And, I’m guessing that you’re Hayley? She ran into me between classes and mentioned you.”

“I’m Hayley. And yes. Caroline mentioned that she wanted to introduce me to you at some point.” Hayley walked around and finally picked a seat far away from Kol.

To her surprise, Bonnie took the seat next to her. “Yeah. Caroline seems to think she’s the welcome committee. Though, from what I’ve heard of you from her, I’m glad of it, this time. It sounded like you could use some friends.”

“And which part makes you say that? Me being new, or me being a foster kid?”

Bonnie shrugged. “You aren’t the only foster kid, here. Don’t go thinking anybody is going to be looking down at you for that. Well, Katherine Pierce might. But she looks down at everyone, so hardly counts.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve just had some bad experiences in the past. So, if I seem bitchy…”

“It’s a wall you’re putting up to keep from getting hurt. I get it.”

But then, the bell rang signaling the start of class. And immediately after taking attendance, this teacher decided to assign seats. Alphabetically, by last name. Which put Hayley next to Kol Mikaelson. Because apparently Hayley was not allowed to get away from the Mikaelsons at all. And why was it that it seemed that Elijah was the only one she didn’t have a class with? The one member of that family she actually wanted to see, was the only one she really wouldn’t be able to see much of.

Granted, they had lunch together. And at least for today he intended to sit with her. And his locker was right across the hall from hers. Which meant she’d at least see him for a few minutes at the beginning and end of the day. And why did she care, anyway? She mentally smacked herself.

The rest of the morning flew by. She didn’t have anybody Caroline had pointed out to her in her French class. Which was both good and bad. She had spent most of the morning somewhat terrified of running into one of the bitch squad. So, it was a good thing that that hadn’t happened. But, it really sucked not knowing anyone at all.

And then the bell ending her French class rang, and Hayley was out of her seat before it even finished ringing. She ran to her locker and shoved her books into it, grabbing the notebooks for her afternoon classes, since she wasn’t sure if she would be back to her locker before the end of the day.

She smiled when she closed her locker to see Elijah standing there, leaning against the locker next to hers. He held out his hands, and she rolled her eyes before handing him her notebooks. “I’m not an invalid, you know. I’m perfectly capable of carrying my own books. This is how rumors start, you know.”

“I thought you weren’t afraid of Katherine? Or is there a boy you don’t want to think you’re taken?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” She quirked an eyebrow at him and he laughed.

“Come on. Let’s get to lunch. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. Did you bring a lunch, or do you buy?”

“I usually buy. Foster kid. I got free lunch as part of the foster care system. But, my aunt has informed me that after today I’ll be bringing a lunch.”

Elijah nodded. “Yeah. Most of us buy on the first day, and then bring lunches after that. It’s a weird tradition that I don’t pretend to understand.”

He started walking, and Hayley fell in step beside him. Neither of them noticing the pair of blue eyes following their every move.

**~High School Confidential~**

At least Hayley was allowed to pay for her own lunch and Elijah didn’t try to buy it for her. Though, he did make suggestions on the best things to buy, and what to stay away from. And then they found seats together, with him sitting across from her, and he pulled out a sheet of graph paper.

“Okay, so this is your map. If you give me your schedule, again, I can show you where your classes are. And help find your best routes, if you want.”

As Hayley handed over her schedule, they started being joined by other people. Starting with an absolutely gorgeous blonde who plopped herself next to Elijah, threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. Hayley focused on her map to hide her disappointment. It seemed that Caroline and Elena’s information was a bit out of date. Elijah might not still be with Katherine, but he also apparently wasn’t single.

“Okay, I haven’t seen you, before. I mean, granted, I’m a freshman. But, I thought that I had met all of Elijah’s friends.”

“I’m Hayley. I’m a transfer student. Elijah was kind enough to help me try to find my way around, since I missed orientation.”

“Oh! Sorry. Where are my manners? Hayley, this is Rebekah. Rebekah, this is Hayley.”

Hayley held her hand out. “Nice to meet you, Rebekah.”

Rebekah looked at her for a minute and then rolled her eyes. “Rebekah Mikaelson. And do you have a last name, Hayley?”

Mikaelson. Meaning she was related to Elijah, somehow. “Hayley Marshall.” She turned her attention back to the map — no, floor plan — Elijah had drawn her. “So, are all of you artistic? I know that Klaus is an artist, I was kind of surprised to find out that you are, too.”

Elijah shook his head. “My actual artistic talents lie more in music. And, unlike my brother, that is just a hobby. But, I intend to study Architecture next year. I may not have my little brother’s artistic abilities, but floor plans are entirely different. They’re more math than art.” He looked up at her, then. “Wait! You know Niklaus?”

“Yeah. We were in summer camp, together. I sometimes wondered why he was even there. He spent most of his time drawing, hardly participated in anything.”

Elijah shrugged and looked at the floor plan. But, for a split second, there was something that looked a lot like disappointment in his eyes. “He doesn’t go to summer camp to go to camp. He goes to get away from our father. But, that isn’t for me to talk about.”

“All right. You have monopolized the new girl’s time enough. Quit being rude and introduce us, already.”

Hayley laughed. She looked around the table at Damon, Marcel, and a brunette she didn’t know. “Sorry. I’m Hayley. And you’re Damon and Marcel. But, Caroline didn’t point the girl out to me.”

Marcel nodded. “Davina here is my foster sister. And, she’s a freshman. So, Caroline might not have thought to point her out to you, yet.”

“Don’t forget, Marcel. Hayley had already gone inside before Niklaus showed up. And he had left Rebekah with Davina, somewhere. So, Davina wasn’t around when Caroline was pointing people out to her.”

Hayley raised an eyebrow at that. But, she didn’t have a chance to say anything, because Damon beat her to it. “You do realize that you just admitted to knowing when she went inside, right?”

Hayley laughed at the look on Elijah’s face. “She practically walked into me. Hard not to notice that. Shut up, and quit reading into everything. Where is your girlfriend, anyway?”

Damon sighed. “Alas, Elena has lunch next period. We’ve compared schedules. Except for possibly a few seconds passing each other in the halls if the timing is right, we are not going to see each other at all during the school day. It totally sucks. Especially since this is my last year, here. I’m going to see even less of her next year.”

“What in the world are you even doing?”

“Making Hayley a map to help her find her way around.”

Rebekah pouted. “I see how it is. Why did nobody draw me a map, I want to know? And don’t even try to tell me that it’s because I was at orientation, and Hayley wasn’t. It’s not like the quick tour they gave us is anywhere near as good as this map is.”

“Had you shown me your schedule after orientation, I would have done this for you. Now hush, and let me explain this to her.”

Rebekah grumbled, but stayed quiet. And then Elijah and the other two boys were arguing about the quickest way to get from the Chemistry lab to the newspaper office for Hayley’s Journalism class.

Hayley rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Rebekah. “So, where do you fit on the Mikaelson family tree?”

“I’m the youngest sister, and the second youngest sibling. Freya is a senior in college, Finn is a college sophomore. Then there’s Elijah, Nik, Kol, and me. Henrik is ten.”

Hayley blinked. “Wow. That’s a lot of kids.”

“What about you? Do you have any siblings?”

“Nope. I’m an only child. I’m also in foster care, currently living with my aunt and uncle. I’m Eve Labonair’s cousin. Which… probably doesn’t mean anything to you if you’re a freshman.”

“I’ve met Eve. She’s nice. What year are you?”

“I’m a sophomore. Same as Kol. Who happens to be in my English class. And I’m in World History with Klaus.”

“You have my sympathies. Those two can be annoying. Though, in their defense, I am saying that as their little sister. Maybe others don’t find them as annoying as I do. But, out of my brothers, Elijah here is the good one.”

“Honestly, Rebekah. Shut up.” Elijah looked up at them. “Okay, Hayley. I think we’ve got this.” And then he traced the routes he had drawn on her floor plan, showing her not just where her other four classes were, but the best way to get to them.

And then she noticed a broken line that wasn’t included in his explanation. She pointed to it. “And what is that?” She traced it. “Oh! A chance to go to my locker if I want to!”

Elijah nodded. “Exactly.” He looked at his watch. “Shit! We have like five minutes to eat.”

He gave her a pointed look, and she giggled as she started shoving food into her mouth. It occurred to her that she was certainly not being very attractive, right now. But, there wasn’t time to try to be dainty about it. Not if she wanted to actually finish her lunch. It was actually pretty decent as school lunches went. Though, she found herself curious about what her aunt would make her, tomorrow. She had never brought lunch, before. It was going to be a very new experience.

And then the bell rang, and they all stood up and grabbed their things, dumped their trays, and went their separate ways to get to their next classes. Hayley looked at the floor plan Elijah had made her and turned left at the first intersection, then headed up the stairs to her Economics class.

**~High School Confidential~**

“Okay, I haven’t seen you here, before. And they don’t let freshmen take Economics. So, I’m guessing that you’re the new girl everyone has been talking about. Hayley, right?”

“That’s me. And you’re Jackson.”

“So, which girl took you under her wing?”

“That would be Caroline Forbes.”

Jackson nodded and waved towards the seats. When Hayley picked a seat, he sat next to her. “Oh yes. Caroline. I’m guessing your personal orientation consisted mostly of a list of who was dating who?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Which doesn’t sound helpful, but at least in the process she also told me who was who. This has actually been my easiest first day at a new school, ever.”

“Yeah. I guess it can’t hurt, at least having an idea of who people are, and knowing who you want to try to get to know better. And Caroline is a flighty busybody, but she is a pretty good judge of character. Her liking you is a point in your favor. And she won’t steer you wrong when it comes to who your likely friends are going to be. So, have you gotten to know anyone else? I mean, if you’ve met Caroline, you’ve obviously met Elena. Those two are almost inseparable.”

“So far, I’ve actually met all four Mikaelsons, Cami O’Connell, your cousin Aiden, Bonnie Bennett, Damon Salvatore, Marcel Gerard, and Davina Claire. And I am completely overwhelmed.”

“Yeah. I can get that. Not gonna lie, I’m not a huge fan of the Mikaelsons. They aren’t bad people, nothing to really worry about. I mean… horrible taste in women, but… that’s their own problem.”

Hayley laughed. “I am aware that half of the group that Caroline refers to as the bitch squad are Elijah’s exes. And even he has warned me away from the entire group.”

“Yeah. Half of them are Elijah’s exes. The other half are Klaus’s exes. The only one in that group that hasn’t slept with a Mikaelson is Francesca.”

Well, wasn’t that just lovely? Well, with any luck, nobody would ever find out about her and Klaus, and none of them would have any particular reason to hate her. Because the last thing she really needed was for that group to come after her. And, apparently, just her being friends with Elijah was already enough to have Katherine after her head. What a lovely little soap opera she had wandered into.

“So, since Caroline pointed me out to you, and you’re willingly sitting next to me, I’m guessing I was on her list of approved company?”

Hayley laughed. “Yes. You and your cousins Aiden and Oliver are all on her list of people I should get to know.”

“Well, that’s good to know. So, what has you taking Econ, anyway?”

Hayley shrugged. “I’m thinking of journalism as my college major. Which doesn’t sound like something you need Economics for, but… History, Politics, Statics, Economics… you kind of need to actually understand that shit to be able to properly report on things.”

“No, that actually makes sense. You need to be able to analyze likely outcomes and things. And know when your sources are talking out of their asses.”

She laughed. “Exactly. You?”

He shrugged. “It looked interesting. I’m not planning on going to college. My dad owns a store that I work at and will someday take over.”

“So, you actually need it to someday run the business part of the store?”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

And then they had to stop talking, because class had started. Once the bell rang, though, Jackson turned back to her. “So, where are you headed after this?”

“Geometry. Then I have Chemistry, then Journalism.”

“Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Unless you want to meet up after school?”

“Sorry. I kind of promised Caroline and Elena that I’d hang out with them after school. But, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And then she grabbed her books and headed out the door and down to her Geometry class.

**~High School Confidential~**

“So, how has your day been, so far? Get to hang out with anyone interesting?”

“I have Klaus Mikaelson in my World History class. Kol Mikaelson and Bonnie Bennett are both in English with me. I have lunch with Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson, Damon Salvatore, Marcel Gerard, and Davina Claire. And Jackson Kenner is in Economics with me. The only class where there is nobody that Caroline pointed out to me is French. So, this has actually been a pretty good day.”

Cami smiled. “So, spill. Which boy are you crushing on? And don’t say nobody. Because there is no way that you’ve spent your day with those boys and haven’t developed a crush on at least one of them. They are certainly a good-looking bunch.”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “Why is everybody so interested in who I might think is cute? I am certainly capable of hanging out with a boy and not wanting to get into his pants.” Not that her past history was actually much of an indication of that.

“Fine. Be that way. Well, you already know that I have a bit of a crush on Klaus. Which is stupid. I mean, he’s gorgeous, but…”

“But, he’s a bad boy. And you are definitely not a bad girl. But, I’m guessing that that’s part of the appeal. He’s out of your comfort zone. You are just as interested in the rebellion that dating Klaus Mikaelson would be as you are in him.”

“Wow! You sound like my therapist. Plans to go into Phychiatry?”

Hayley shrugged. “I’ve seen my share of therapists. No interest in being one. But, sometimes, if you hear something enough, you can’t help but actually learn it. Or at least recognize it in someone else, even if you’re in denial yourself.”

Cami nodded. “I’m actually thinking of going into Psychiatry, myself. I couldn’t help Sean, but maybe I can help somebody else. Or, I could be a grief counselor. Help people like me learn to move on.”

“Could you really do that? I mean, if it were me, it would be hard to listen to other people talking about their problems all day, especially if those problems are so similar to my own.”

“Yeah. It might be hard. But, the flip side is that I would get it in a way that maybe most don’t. I mean, my therapist is great, and I love her, but…”

“But, even if she’s lost someone, it was probably not her twin, and probably not to suicide. She can’t _really_ understand you.”

“Exactly. Sure you don’t want to go into Psychiatry?”

Hayley laughed. “I’m sure. I’ll stick to reporting the news. I’ll leave the psychoanalyzing people to you.”

Cami laughed, and then the bell rang and they had to stop talking. Once class ended, she grabbed her books. “All right. I’ll see you in homeroom, tomorrow. I’m sure that Caroline has already claimed you after school today. But, maybe we can hang out sometime? Maybe this weekend?”

“I’d like that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

But, Hayley had to book it if she wanted to run to her locker on the way to Chemistry. And so she took off at a run.

**~High School Confidential~**

“Well, _finally_ I have a class with you!”

“Hey Caroline! I’ve kind of missed you, today. Especially in French class. Where I was all alone.”

Caroline laughed. “Well, we have a bit of a conundrum, here. Because Elena is also in this class. And we can’t have three in a group.”

“I actually already promised Aiden that I would be his lab partner. But, you and Elena can take the station across from us?”

“Sounds like a plan. And I’m glad that you’re going to pair up with Aiden. I was wondering…”

“Caroline! Can you stop gossiping for like five minutes?” Elena was rolling her eyes as she walked up. “So, it’s gonna be Hayley and Aiden, and me and Caroline? Let’s hurry and claim a table so we can be across from each other.”

By the time Aiden arrived, the girls were settled into their seats and Hayley was saving him the seat next to her. “Thanks. Got a bit held up talking to Jackson. And… thank you for being my lab partner. I didn’t want to say anything in homeroom, but… I actually  _had_ plans on who my partner would be. Jackson may be my best friend, but it’s not like he’s my only friend.”

“Sean O’Connell. You were supposed to pair up with Sean O’Connell.”

Aiden nodded. “I didn’t want to mention it, because it’s not like losing a best friend compares to losing a twin brother. She shouldn’t have to be strong for me, you know?”

“I get it.” And then she thought of the other thing that she knew about Aiden. “Wait! Were you and Sean friends, or… _friends_?”

He laughed. “We were friends. Sean wasn’t into boys. And he wasn’t really my type, either. But, he was my best friend other than Jackson. So, it might not be as hard on me as on Cami, but it’s still hard.”

Hayley learned that there was no such thing as a quiet class when Caroline Forbes was in it. But, the girl’s constant chatter was actually oddly comforting. And she was happy at how Caroline and Elena made a point of including, not just her, but Aiden. She looked at her small group of friends and suddenly it clicked. While she didn’t know about Caroline, everybody else at their table either were in mourning, or was assumed to be. They didn’t know yet that she had never met her parents.

She ended up being even more glad that Caroline and Elena were in this class with them than she normally would have been. Because it turned out that while each pair would doing their experiments and reports together, the supplies would be shared among the table. So, really, all four of them would be working together. Plus, talking was encouraged during labs as long as they didn’t disturb the other groups. So, while this was one of the classes she only needed because she needed it to graduate, not because she needed it for her major, it was still going to be the class she most looked forward to every day.

Which was good. Because the class she had been most excited about turned out to be the one she was going to dread every day. Katherine Pierce was in her Journalism class. And already seemed to hate her.

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	3. You Can Call Me Queen Bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gossip about Hayley and Elijah reaches Katherine. Which causes Damon and Elena to jump on the bandwagon. Hayley has her first run-in with Katherine and meets Josh. And Rebekah joins in in teasing Elijah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from Royals by Lorde

Katherine was having a day. First, Elijah not only refused to compare schedules with her, he had actually pulled away from her and told her that the only point he could see in that would be to make it easier for him to avoid her. To avoid her! Like she was some annoying stalker and not the best he ever had. She had even given him her best seductive look, an open invitation to go find an empty classroom or something. But, no. It didn’t make any sense.

Yes, they had broken up. But, it wasn’t like it was the first time they broke up and then got back together. It wouldn’t be the last, either. He would be back, begging for more. He always was. So, she kissed his cheek, and as she walked away, she put a swing to her hips that should have made him follow her. But, when she turned and glanced behind her before going inside, Elijah had already turned back to his friends. He hadn’t even been watching her. What the heck?

And then, she didn’t have any classes with him all morning. Didn’t even see him in the halls. It was like the universe was against her. Well, he could hardly avoid her all year. She would get him back into her bed where he belonged eventually.

She shoved her books into her locker and slammed the door. The way her day was going, she wouldn’t have Elijah in lunch with her, either. And she really was not in the mood for Genevieve who was standing by her locker with an expectant look on her face. “What do you want, Genevieve?”

“So, we have a new transfer student, in my homeroom. Her name is Hayley Marshall.”

“And I’m supposed to care about some random new sophomore because…?”

“Because Elijah Mikaelson seems quite taken with her. I took some pictures of them. Here.” She handed Katherine her phone.

Katherine frowned and took the phone. As she looked through the pictures, her frown deepened. There was Elijah,  _her_ Elijah, standing there, leaning against the lockers talking to some other girl. And then… was that skinny twig bitch handing Elijah her books to carry? The next picture showed that that was exactly what happened. Elijah Mikaelson was walking through the halls of Katherine’s school, carrying some other bitch’s books like they were a couple or something. What the actual fuck? Her one consolation was that he wasn’t touching the girl. 

She went back to the first two pictures, the ones that showed his face. She stared at his smile. When was the last time he had smiled at her like that? This was a disaster. It was their senior year. Her and Elijah were supposed to be the ultimate power couple, ruling the damn school together. He wasn’t supposed to be looking at some stupid twig of a sophomore like that. A  _sophomore!_ What could that child possibly offer him that was better than what he had with Katherine? None of this was making any sense.

She handed Genevieve’s phone back. “Thanks for telling me. I’m sure it’s nothing. If she’s a transfer student, she wouldn’t know her way around, or anything. He’s probably just trying to be helpful. You know how Elijah is.” Yeah, he was just being helpful. And they were going to ignore the way he was looking at her. It didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t mean anything.

She headed down to the cafeteria and smiled when she saw Elena in line for food. She cut in the line so that she was behind her cousin, and glared at the fool behind her who tried to protest. “Hey girl! How is your first day of sophomore year going?” Not that she particularly cared. But, Elena was best friends with Caroline. And, if anybody knew anything about the new girl, it would be Caroline Forbes.

“It’s going all right. I’d ask how your first day of senior year is going, but I already have an idea.”

What did that mean? Was Elijah’s apparent interest in the new girl already making the rounds? Or, was it more than that, and Damon had said something to Elena? Because Katherine had forgotten that other reason why Elena might know something. She was dating one of Elijah’s best friends. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Elena sighed. “I saw the show you and Elijah put on this morning. It looks like he has finally come to his senses.”

Katherine scoffed. “Oh, that. Please. That was a show he was putting on for his friends. He’ll be back in my bed where he belongs soon enough.” They bought their food and Katherine followed Elena to a table and sat down across from her.

“Right. Honestly Katherine. Why don’t you find somebody else to annoy this year? It’s not like you actually love him. I’m not sure you’re capable of it.”

“I’m seventeen. Of course I’m not looking for a future husband. But, Elijah Mikaelson is gorgeous, rich, and damn good in bed. And popular. What girl wouldn’t want him? And it’s my senior year. I’m supposed to be having fun. I don’t want to spend my last year here as Elijah’s cast-off. It’s humiliating.”

“So, basically, you don’t actually give a shit about him. You just want what he can give you. And no concern about what he’s getting in return. Sounds about right.”

“What he’s getting in return? He’s getting me. I am also gorgeous, rich, popular… and damn good in bed. We could be the ultimate power couple, Elena. Elijah and I should be ruling this school, together. I don’t understand why he’s throwing that away his senior year.”

The infuriating child actually rolled her eyes. “And what makes you think that Elijah cares about any of that? You know why Elijah is popular, Katherine? Because he’s a good guy. He’s nice. He’s friendly. You’re popular because you’re feared. Elijah is popular because he’s liked. You know what I think?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “I think that the reason he finally broke up with you for good is because he realized that you are an unfeeling bitch who is never going to give him what he really wants. He doesn’t want to be one half of a power couple, ruling the damn school. He wants to be loved. And you aren’t capable of that. You don’t even love your family. I don’t think you even love yourself. Everyone is rated on what they can give you. Elijah can give you status, and apparently orgasms. But, if that’s all he is to you, then what the fuck is even the point? Never mind. You know what? I don’t fucking care.”

“Listen here, little girl.”

“No. You listen, Katherine. I don’t know what your fucking problem is. I have no idea how you turned out like this. It’s certainly not genetics. From everything I’ve heard, your mother was a sweetheart, and mine was a conniving bitch. So, I’m guessing it’s because Uncle John spent the past ten years spoiling you rotten trying to make up for you not having a mother. Too bad it blew up in everyone’s face and turned you into someone that Isabel would have been proud of and your own mother would be ashamed of. Now, do me a favor and go sit somewhere else. Because I am really not in the mood to deal with you, right now.”

**~High School Confidential~**

Unfortunately, Katherine couldn’t be brushed off that easily. “At least tell me if you know what is going on between him and the new girl.”

Elijah and Hayley? That had to be the new girl Katherine was talking about. But, no way Elena was going to let on that she had any idea what her cousin was talking about. “Which new girl?”

Katherine rolled her eyes. “Please. Do not try to pretend that Caroline didn’t latch onto her to show her around. Hayley. Sophomore transfer student.”

“And what makes you think that anything is going on between Hayley and Elijah?”

“Genevieve. There are pictures. Apparently, Elijah has been seen carrying the bitch’s books for her. So, obviously there is _something_ going on. I was hoping that between Caroline and Damon, you would know what that was.”

Aaahhh… And there it was. The real reason Katherine wanted to talk to her. She wasn’t actually interested in Elena — she was fishing for information. Figured. “Nope. I haven’t seen Damon all day. And won’t until after school. Haven’t seen Hayley since before school, either. As of the last time I talked to her, she hadn’t even met Elijah. Caroline pointed him and a few others out to her, though. You know Caroline. She’s all about who is dating who and all of that. Plus, the Mikaelsons and their friends are certainly high up on the food chain, around here.”

“I am well aware of where Elijah and his brothers and their friends stand in this school. Or have you not been listening to anything I’ve been saying?”

“Look, Katherine. You want to know what’s going on with Elijah? Ask him. Granted, odds are good that he’ll tell you it’s none of your business. But, that’s about all I even could tell you, anyway.”

Katherine grumbled at her. “I need you to find out what is going on with them.”

“I am not your fucking spy, Katherine. Nor am I your slave to order around. I like Hayley. She seems sweet. Leave her the fuck alone. And leave Elijah alone.”

“Don’t give me orders.”

“I’m not. I’m making a suggestion. Let it go. Let him go. For once in your life, think of someone else. Or, if you can’t do that, then I have something for you to consider. You’ll look a lot less pathetic if you just accept that you and Elijah are over and bow out gracefully, than you will if you spend the rest of the year chasing hopelessly after somebody who does not want you, anymore.”

“What do you know about it, anyway? You’re just a child.”

“I’m two years younger than you, Katherine. Hardly a child. And, this is something I actually know more about than you do. After all, I’m the one who is currently in a real relationship. And you’re the one that doesn’t even know what a relationship is. You want a fuck buddy? Find somebody that would be happy to give you exactly that. Leave Elijah alone. Because right now, you look fucking pathetic. You want to rule the school? Rule it on your own. Since when does Katherine Pierce need a boy to validate her, anyway?”

Elena looked at her watch. There were still fifteen minutes left to her lunch period, but talking to Katherine had made her lose her appetite. She stood up and dumped her tray, then walked out. She wasn’t surprised when Katherine didn’t follow her.

She went into the bathroom, and pulled her phone out to text Damon.

EG: All right, has Elijah said anything about Hayley Marshall?

She wasn’t surprised when he responded right away.

DS: I’ve actually met her. The three of us have lunch together. Along with Marcel, Rebekah, and Davina. Why?

EG: Katherine. Apparently, Genevieve has pictures of Elijah carrying Hayley’s books for her, and Katherine is freaking out. Do you know what’s going on with them?

DS: Well, he hasn’t said anything. But, they WERE pretty cozy at lunch. He drew her a map of the school, and mapped out her best routes from class to class. The dude may live for drawing floor plans, but that was definitely above and beyond, even for him. He apparently didn’t even do that for Rebekah. And, don’t smack me for this, later, but she is certainly very pretty.

EG: I’m not Katherine. And I trust you. You’re allowed to look. And, you’re right. She’s gorgeous. If Elijah is developing a thing for her, he certainly has good taste.

DS: I can try to find out what’s up with them if you want. I mean… maybe don’t go blabbing to Katherine, but…

Elena rolled her eyes.

EG: Please. I like Hayley. I’m not about to put a bigger target on her back than Genevieve already has. But, if they like each other, then we should definitely see about making this a thing. He deserves better than my idiot cousin. We should help that happen.

DS: You’re as bad as Caroline. But, I should probably put my phone away before the teacher tries to confiscate it. I’ll see you after school. I love you.

EG: I love you. See you after school.

Elena put her phone away and smiled. So, it seemed that Katherine might actually be right about Hayley and Elijah. Granted, while she couldn’t help hoping for Elijah’s sake that actually became a thing, she couldn’t help being worried about Hayley. Katherine could be a total bitch when she wanted to be. And she thought of Elijah as her rightful property. This could get ugly.

She was about to pull her phone out and text Caroline, when the bell rang. Shit! Well, they would sort this all out later. She ran to her English class.

**~High School Confidential~**

Katherine’s day did not improve in the afternoon. After her infuriating cousin told her off and stormed out of the cafeteria, Katherine finished eating and then went to her next class. And, by the end of the day, it was obvious that she and Elijah were not going to have any classes together. She hadn’t seen him at all since that morning before school. And her last class was Journalism, which she knew he didn’t take.

And then, the skinny twig bitch he had apparently been flaunting around the school walked into the room. Perfect. The last thing she wanted was to deal with the bitch. She looked at her critically. She was pretty, if you were into her sort of look. Too damn skinny, Katherine could probably break her in two. And her hair couldn’t seem to decide if it wanted to be curly or straight. There was really nothing all that special about her.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the famous Hayley Marshall.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve heard of you. Heard that you seem to be trying to move in on my boyfriend. Well, listen up. He’s taken. So, set your sights elsewhere.”

The bitch actually smirked at her. “If you’re talking about Elijah, he’s not your boyfriend, anymore. He can talk to whoever he damn well pleases.”

Katherine snorted. “Please. He likes to play hard to get, sometimes. We might be on a bit of a break, but he’ll be back. So, back the fuck off.”

“Funny, that’s not what he said when we talked about you. In fact, he seems to agree with everyone else that you’re a bitch. And I will hang out with him if I damn well please.”

“Watch yourself, little girl.”

“No, Katherine. You don’t scare me. Maybe you should be the one to watch yourself. You think you’re the first bully I’ve dealt with? Because you’re not. I’m used to girls like you. Girls who act tough, and like they’re better than everybody else. I’ve learned that most of the time, it’s an act. Go be insecure somewhere else. Because I don’t give a fuck. If I want to talk to Elijah, I will. If I want to do more than talk to him, the only one that can tell me that I can’t is him. Get over it.”

And then the bitch turned around and found herself a seat at one of the tables. Katherine was hardly going to lower herself to actually sitting with her, so she took a seat at the table furthest from her. And she seethed. How dare she! She was just a fucking baby sophomore. And she was not only moving in on Katherine’s man, but acting like she had every right to? Like she actually deserved him. Please!

Most of the class was spent surreptitiously watching Hayley, while pretending she wasn’t. She wondered if anybody had heard their exchange. Because that was really all she needed. Bad enough that Elijah seemed to already have a thing for the bitch. It would be even worse if anybody had heard her telling Katherine off like she was her equal. Never mind her acting like she thought that she was actually  _better_ than Katherine. 

When the bell rang ending class, Katherine took her time getting her things together. And then, once Hayley had left the room, Katherine followed her, being careful to stay far enough back that it wouldn’t be obvious what she was doing. Granted, she knew where the girl’s homeroom and locker were. After all, she was in Genevieve’s homeroom. But, that was besides the point. There was the possibility that she wouldn’t be going to her own locker, but to Elijah’s.

Katherine wasn’t sure if she was surprised or not to see Elijah near Hayley’s locker. She watched as Hayley put her books away, and grabbed a few notebooks, before closing her locker. And then smiled at Elijah when he held his hands out and took her notebooks from her. He was carrying that bitch’s books  _again_ ? Seriously? She ducked into a classroom as they turned in her direction to walk to the stairs. This was a disaster. An absolute disaster. Not only did Elijah already seem to actually like the bitch — she had made it very clear that Katherine wasn’t going to be able to intimidate her into staying away from him. 

Well, desperate times called for desperate measures. She left the classroom she had hidden in and started walking in the direction they had gone. She was going to get him back. And she had a plan.

**~High School Confidential~**

Hayley wanted to slump into her seat. She was mentally exhausted, and headed towards also being physically exhausted. But, to let that show would be to let Katherine win. And after all of that, the last thing she wanted was to let Katherine fucking Pierce see any weakness. So, she did her best to turn her slump into an arrogant-looking slouch, instead.

“That was beautiful. I mean, I’m a freshman, so I don’t know who she is. But, still. I’m pretty sure that took some serious balls, girl.”

Hayley laughed. “That is Katherine Pierce. And, I’m going to give you the same advice I was given this morning. Stay away from her if you can.” She thought for a minute. “And if you find me tomorrow morning, I can point out her friends, too. So you can avoid them, too. She held out her hand. “I’m Hayley, by the way.”

The boy shook her hand. “Josh Rosza. Now, since you were just told to stay away from her this morning, I’m guessing you’re also new here? But, I don’t remember you from orientation.”

“I’m a transfer student. Sophomore. And if you’re a freshman, have you met Davina Claire or Rebekah Mikaelson?”

Josh smiled. “I have. They seem nice. Well… Rebekah is a bit overwhelming. But, her heart seems to be in the right place. Davina is a little sweetheart, though. Kind of shy.”

“And you like her.”

“Not like that. She’s… not my type. And before you ask, neither is Rebekah.”

There was something in the way he said that. And then it clicked. “Oh! Maybe I should introduce you to my friend Aiden. Neither of them are his type, either.”

He laughed. “Are you trying to play matchmaker on the first day?”

Hayley shrugged. “Why not? I mean, maybe it would all be for nothing. But, you can’t blame a girl for trying.” And then she laughed. “And I think that Caroline is already starting to rub off on me. Heaven help me.”

And then the bell rang, starting class, and they had to quiet down. And, when the bell ending the school day rang, it turned out that they were headed in different directions. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Hayley.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow. And, seriously. If you don’t see me in the morning, then ask Davina or Rebekah about Katherine and her friends. And about Elijah, Marcel, and their friends.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks.”

“No problem. Caroline took me under her wing, this morning. I’m just paying it forward. Besides, Katherine already hates me, and you are willingly talking to me. That is probably not going to bode well for you in her book. Knowing who to avoid, and who your allies are is certainly in your best interests.” She bit her lip. “Sorry for making your life difficult on your first day.”

He scoffed. “I’m a gay guy who has been out of the closet pretty much since puberty started. My life has always been difficult. Katherine doesn’t scare me, either.”

Hayley smiled and headed to her locker. And her smile got wider as she saw Elijah standing there, leaning against the locker next to hers. “Hey there. So, guess who is in my Journalism class.”

“Fuck! Hayley, I’m sorry. You can always switch, though?”

“I could. But, that would be leaving Josh alone in there. And after today, I don’t want to do that. I can deal with Katherine for forty-five minutes a day.”

“Who is Josh?”

“Little freshman I sat next to. Who kind of gushed at me about how I told Katherine off. I figure that willingly talking to me probably put a target on his back. I’m not leaving him to deal with that alone.”

Elijah smiled and held his hands out. “Well, that is very nice of you. But, seriously. Be careful, Hayley.”

Hayley rolled her eyes, but then she smiled and handed Elijah her notebooks, and they started walking. “I told you, I can handle Katherine. Josh swears he can, too. But… if he ends up in trouble with her, it’s going to be because of me. I feel responsible for him. Plus, he’s becoming friends with Davina. That makes him part of our circle, right?” She flushed. “I mean…”

“No, you’re right. You’re part of our circle, too. You’re already friends with Caroline and Elena. And me. You know Niklaus. You’re one of us, now. And, any friend of Davina’s gets us watching out for him, too.”

“I’ve never been one of the cool kids, before. This is very new.”

Elijah just laughed. “Well, get used to it. You’re stuck with us, now.”

He held the door leading outside open for her. “Well, I’m sure Caroline already has plans to interrogate you, today. So, this is where we part for the day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Hayley skipped over to where Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie were standing. “Hey! By the way, Elena, your cousin is a bitch.”

Elena laughed. “Tell me something I don’t know. So, we were going to go get something to eat. You coming?”

“You should totally come! We have a lot of dishing to do.”

Hayley laughed and pulled out her phone. And then laughed harder when she saw that she already had a text from Eve saying that her cousin figured that Caroline was going to kidnap her, so had already gone home and would see her at dinner. “It looks like I have no plans until dinner. So, let’s go.”

**~High School Confidential~**

Elijah breathed a sigh of relief when he walked into his English class. It looked like he was actually going to get through his entire day without seeing Katherine. It was a miracle. He sat down next to Damon. And was immediately treated to an interrogation.

“So, there is a lot of buzz about you and Hayley. What’s going on with you two, anyway?”

“Nothing. She’s new. I’m helping her get her bearings. And, she’s nice. I like her.”

Damon raised an eyebrow at that. “Well, that much is actually obvious. So, the question is, do you think she likes you?”

Elijah rolled his eyes. “I don’t mean like that, you idiot. She’s a sweet girl. We’re becoming friends. That’s all.”

Damon gave him a searching look. “All right, spill. Because your words are saying one thing, but your face is saying something else. You got a goofy grin on your face when I mentioned her name. But, then your face fell when I asked if you think she likes you. So? What gives?”

Elijah sighed. He should know that Damon wasn’t going to let this go. In addition to his own curiosity, he was probably under orders from Elena to get the gossip. “The truth? Yeah. I’m attracted to her. Obviously. I’d have to be either blind, gay, or in love with someone else not to be. But… I think she likes Niklaus.”

“And what makes you think that?”

“Come on, Damon. You were there. At lunch. When she mentioned having gone to summer camp with him?”

“Okay… But, it is a pretty huge leap from ‘they went to summer camp together’ to ‘she wants to fuck him’. What makes you think she likes him?”

“You didn’t notice the way she blushed when she admitted to knowing him?”

“No, I didn’t. Then again, I admit that I wasn’t paying as much attention to her as you were. So, she blushed when she mentioned Klaus, so you figure it’s because she has a thing for him? And never mind that you’re the one she’s been spending time with all day, today.”

“She was grateful for my help, that’s all.” Okay, the way her face lit up when she saw him said that maybe there was something there. But, it could just be her liking him as a friend.

“Let me ask you something. Is that the only time you’ve seen her blush, today?”

“Well… no. But still. I think she might just blush easily.”

“Right. So, why is it that her blushing from talking to you is just that she probably blushes easily, but her blushing when mentioning Klaus automatically means that she likes him? There are a lot of things that could have caused that blush. And her liking him is only one of them. Maybe instead of reading into everything, you should talk to her. Also, you never answered my question.”

And then Elijah was saved by the bell. Except, he should have known that his friend wouldn’t drop it. His phone buzzed and he rolled his eyes when he saw that it was a text from Damon. Of course it was.

DS: So, do you like her?

EM: I hardly know her.

DS: You should ask her out.

EM: I repeat. I hardly know her.

DS: Let me explain how this works in the real world. You meet a girl. You think she’s cute. She seems nice. You ask her out. Go on a few dates. Get to know her. Most people don’t wait until they’re most of the way in love with someone before going on their first date with them. The best way to get to know her is to get her alone. You should ask her out.

EM: Leave me alone.

DS: Answer my question.

EM: Let me do things my way.

DS: That is not an answer. Or is it? Do. You. Like. Her?

Elijah turned his phone off and just glared at Damon who was obviously trying very hard not to laugh. Wonderful. Because having Elijah’s own friends gossiping about them was exactly what poor Hayley needed.

When the bell rang, he jumped up and ran to his locker before Damon could start interrogating him, again.

**~High School Confidential~**

He had already put his books away and was leaning against the locker next to Hayley’s by the time she got there. Part of him said that he was being ridiculous. He was acting like they were already a couple. And, she probably didn’t like him like that, anyway. But, there was something gratifying about the way her eyes lit up when she saw him. And the way she didn’t even argue with him when he held his hands out for her books.

As they walked they talked about her Journalism class, and the fact that Katherine was in it. And the new friend she had made. He had to admire her strength and resolve when she utterly refused to switch classes to get away from Katherine because that would be leaving Josh to deal with the bitch alone after Hayley had accidentally painted a target on his back.

And, since that was because of him, he also felt responsible for the boy. He made a mental note to have Marcel ask Davina about Josh so that they could all keep an eye out for him. He had to laugh when Hayley got embarrassed about including herself in his circle of friends. Though, she definitely was, now. Caroline and Elena had made sure of that, this morning. And the others all seemed to like her, too.

He held the door leading outside open for her and smiled when he saw Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie waiting for her. “Well, I’m sure that Caroline already has plans to interrogate you, today. So, this is where we part for the day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He watched her skip over to the other girls and then headed to the parking lot. It occurred to him that he and Niklaus never agreed on who was driving Kol and Rebekah home. Though, it probably shouldn’t have surprised him to see Rebekah and Davina both leaning against his car.

“Marcel is being a butthead. So, I told Davina that you would drive her home.”

“And, how is Marcel being a butthead?”

Davina sighed. “He won’t stop asking me about what happened in orientation. And, I don’t want to talk about it. It wasn’t that bad, anyway. He’s seriously overreacting. Like he always does. He’s annoying.”

Elijah unlocked the car and slid into the driver’s seat. “So, out of curiosity, what  _did_ happen in orientation?”

“Oh, not you too! Fine! There’s a girl who is like a little baby Katherine. And, apparently I am her chosen target. It’s nothing I can’t handle. And being friends with Rebekah Mikaelson is certainly not hurting. Especially since she comes with three very popular older brothers, and people haven’t made the connection between me and Marcel, yet. We can handle it, Elijah.”

“Does this Katherine wannabe have a name?”

“We are not going there. I am not siccing you guys on her. That would make me no better than she is. Rebekah and I can handle her.”

“Especially since me and the guys are also looking out for you. And Damon will talk to Elena, which will get the girls helping, too. And, Elena can also talk to Jeremy.”

“Wonderful! Just what I need. An entire school full of babysitters. But, I guess I should be grateful. I mean, I’m not saying that it’s not nice to have people around to watch my back.”

“But! Enough about that! Tell us about you and Hayley.”

“Why is everyone so convinced that there even _is_ a ‘me and Hayley’? I’ve been helping her adjust to a new school. That’s all.”

“Right. And carrying her books for her and spending your entire morning drawing a floor plan of the school for her is totally just you trying to be nice.” She turned around in her seat to talk to Davina. “He didn’t even draw me a floor plan. His own sister. And he’s really going to sit here and try to tell us that none of his ‘just being nice’ has anything to do with wanting in the girl’s pants.”

“Rebekah!” He glanced over at her and saw her giving him her best trying to look innocent look. Not that he bought it. He had stopped buying that look when she was five. “I do not want in her pants. And my sex life is none of your business, anyway. Honestly, you are the worst gossip of the lot. And that is saying something.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Elijah. But, I also saw the way you were looking at her at lunch. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen you look at someone like that. It’s been at least a year since you’ve looked at Katherine like that, that’s for sure. So, maybe you don’t want in her pants. I’m thinking you just might want something more substantial from her.”

“Please mind your own business. Or else I’m going to turn it around and start asking you who you’re crushing on.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Ooo… speaking of gossip! I know who Davina likes!”

Davina reacted by shooting forward, wrapping her arm around Rebekah’s seat, and clamping her hand over the blonde’s mouth. “Your brother doesn’t care about the schoolgirl crushes of a silly little freshman. Now hush.”

Except, that actually had him curious. Because, apparently he knew the boy in question. “As long as it isn’t me.”

“Eww. No offense, but no. You’re cute and all, but… no.”

Elijah just laughed and the rest of the ride home was spent with all three of them teasing each other. Though it was mostly the girls teasing him about Hayley while he pretended to try to guess who they liked.

Though his good mood ended when he pulled into the driveway and saw none other than Katherine sitting on the porch. He sighed and turned the car off. “Maybe you girls should go around the back. Katherine is not in a very good mood, right now. I don’t want to subject either of you to her.”

Rebekah nodded and took Davina’s hand, dragging her around to the back of the house.

Which left Elijah alone to deal with his ex. Wonderful.

  
  



	4. There's No Changing Mistakes Already Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elijah deals with Katherine, then with his siblings being annoying. Hayley bonds with Caroline, Elena, Bonnie, and Damon, but then has a horrifying realization that just might change her life forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from Hearts Never Lie by Tiffany

Elijah took a deep breath and then walked to the porch. “Katherine. What are you doing here?”

She jumped up. “We didn’t get to see each other at all in school. And, you were gone by the time I got out.” She pouted at him. “I can’t believe you didn’t even wait for me.”

He rolled his eyes. “And why would I wait for you? We’re over, remember?”

“You keep saying that. But, we both know that’s not true.” She closed the distance between them and reached out, playing with the hem of his shirt. “My dad is still at work, so I have the house to myself for a few more hours. You should come over.”

“It’s not going to happen.”

She tilted her head down a bit and looked at him through her lashes. “It doesn’t have to mean anything. But, you have to admit that even when we had problems, the sex was always good. So, come home with me, Elijah. Come over and we can have a few hours of no strings attached fun. For old times’ sake.”

For a minute, he was tempted. She was right about one thing. They might not have actually had much actually in common, but the sex was good. But then he thought of a pair of hazel eyes. Of cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Of a smile that reached those eyes, and a laugh that was genuine amusement, rather than an attempt at seduction.

No, Hayley might not like him like that. She might even be interested in his brother. But, in the short time he had spent with her, today, he already liked her. He wasn’t about to admit that to anybody else. But, there it was. And even if he didn’t have a chance in Hell with Hayley, he still deserved more than what Katherine was offering him.

He reached up, took her by the shoulders, and pushed her away. “No. We aren’t together, anymore. And we never will be. It’s over. For good, this time. Whether you believe it or not. I deserve better than you.”

She scoffed. “Better than me? Where do you propose to find that? Hayley? She’s a child, Elijah. And she isn’t even that pretty.”

“Leave Hayley out of this. This isn’t about her. This is about me. And what I want. So, let me explain a few things to you. Yes, Katherine. You are gorgeous. I’m hardly going to deny that. And, I’m not going to deny that the sex was great. But, that’s all our relationship ever was. You’re standing here talking about no strings attached sex like that is somehow different from what we had before. When it really isn’t. I deserve better than you, Katherine. I deserve somebody that wants me for more than sex, or status. I deserve to be loved. And you aren’t capable of that. And, you know what? I feel sorry for you. Because you had me, Katherine. You had all of me. You had everything I had to give. And all you cared about was the least important parts. And now, none of it is yours. And I was the only guy in our school stupid enough to fall for your act. You want to get laid? There are plenty of guys who wouldn’t mind a few hours of ‘no strings attached fun’ in your bed. But, that is all any of them will ever be willing to give you. You had love. You didn’t want it. Well, now you don’t have it, anymore.”

She reached for him, again, but he stepped back. “The next time you touch me, I will file sexual harassment charges. We are over. It’s over, Katherine. Get that through your fucking head. Now, get out of here before I have my father charge you with trespassing.” He walked past her to the door. But, then he turned around. “Oh. And Katherine? Stay the Hell away from Hayley. It won’t be hard at all for me to make your senior year a living Hell. Don’t give me a reason. She’s a sweet girl, who didn’t ask to be dragged into your drama and doesn’t deserve your bullshit. Leave her the fuck alone, or so help me, you will wish you never heard the name Mikaelson. Understand?” And then he walked into the house, slamming the door behind him.

“You okay, there?”

“I’m fine, Rebekah. Thank you for your concern.”

“So, what did she want?”

He laughed. “Honestly? For me to go to her place for a while.” He rolled his eyes. “Apparently her current tactic is to try to use sex to get me back.”

“Well, as ways to a man’s heart go, that _is_ usually pretty high up on the list.”

“Honestly, Kol. Shut up!” Sometimes he really wondered what he did in a past life to warrant these idiots as his siblings. The only one that wasn’t annoying as fuck sometimes was Freya — who probably actually found _him_ annoying. Maybe it wasn’t so much his siblings in specific as younger siblings in general.

“I’m just making an observation.”

“Right. Like that works with you. Mr never been out with the same girl twice. Or is that because none of them—”

“Niklaus! That is quite enough of teasing people about their sex lives out of _all_ of you. Shut it!”

Elijah ran his hands over his eyes. And prayed that Henrik either wasn’t home, or was in his room and couldn’t hear his older siblings. Sometimes he honestly wondered if he was the only one who remembered that there was still an actual child living in this house. “Anybody know where Henrik is?”

“He mentioned yesterday that he was going to be going to a friend’s house after school, today.”

Which meant that he wasn’t home. That was good, at least. “Well good. At least he’s not listening to this conversation.”

Rebekah rolled her eyes. “Don’t forget that for once, you actually started the conversation, Elijah. You didn’t have to actually be so blunt about what Katherine wanted.”

Elijah just stared at her as his brothers started laughing. “Just shut up.”

“Why _is_ that your favorite line, lately?”

“Because you lot are annoying and need to all learn to keep your traps shut once in a while. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have homework to do.”

“On the first day? If you don’t want to talk to us, just say so.”

Elijah shook his head and ran up the stairs to his room, closing the door behind him. He dropped his backpack on the chair by his desk and then plopped onto his bed. Except, when he closed his eyes, it was Hayley’s face that he saw. His little sister would have an absolute field day if she knew that. Not that he had any intention of giving her the satisfaction of telling her that, of course.

This was insane. He didn’t even know the girl. Yes, she was beyond pretty, and really did seem sweet. But, he had just met her. He should not be thinking about her, this much. He groaned and sat back up. Okay, he needed to find something to do with himself. He reached over and grabbed the book he was reading off of his nightstand. Not that he was particularly interested in it at the moment, but it at least helped take his mind off of everything.

**~High School Confidential~**

“Okay, I promise that I will tell you girls anything you want to know about me. But, I have to ask. What was up with how Caroline pointed out Katherine, this morning? Exactly how is she related to you, anyway?” Yes, Hayley had settled on “cousin” when commenting on her. But, that had been more because of the different last names. Apparently she was also somehow Elena’s sister. And Hayley couldn’t help being curious about how that worked.

“Oh boy. So, about eighteen years ago, the man I call my uncle John got his high school girlfriend pregnant. They decided to keep the baby, even though things didn’t work out between them. Which, I guess them breaking up before she was born is why she has her mother’s last name. I don’t know. But, fast forward about two years, and he managed to get his college girlfriend pregnant. She didn’t want to keep the baby, but also didn’t want to get an abortion. Well, his older brother and sister-in-law had been trying unsuccessfully to have a baby, so it was kind of a win-win. Isabel got to wash her hands of me once I was born, my parents got the baby they always wanted, and Uncle John didn’t lose me completely. And so, the girl I call my cousin is actually my half-sister, and the boy I call my brother is actually my cousin. Welcome to the wonderful weirdness that is the Gilbert family tree. Now, your turn.”

Hayley shrugged. “I grew up in foster care. Passed from home to home like a hot potato. It seemed that nobody wanted to be the one to get stuck with me for good. Until the end of last school year. That was when Eve’s parents found me. Until then, I didn’t know what happened to my biological parents. I honestly assumed I had been abandoned. But, it turned out that they had died when I was just a baby. My name on my original birth certificate is Andrea Labonair. But, I’ve never gone by it. I didn’t learn that until last year, either. I don’t pretend to understand everything that happened to lead to me ending up in foster care. All I know is that nobody in my father’s family knew that I existed until shortly before they showed up at my last foster home looking for me. As for my mother’s family… that’s still a mystery. I suppose that eventually I will try to find out more about her. But, for right now, I’m just trying to wrap my brain around having people who actually want me. I mean, they’ve even started the process to adopt me. Though, I’m fifteen. I’m not sure I see the point, at this point.”

“The point is to give you a family. You can actually adopt someone even after they turn eighteen. It isn’t always about guardianship. I think this is about letting you know that you’re through being passed around like a hot potato. That you’re home.”

“I guess. And, I also guess that the process is being helped by them actually being my closest relatives. Since I was never actually adopted by anyone, legally Victor Labonair is still my father. I don’t pretend to understand how any of this works. I don’t even actually understand how the foster care system works, despite being in it my entire damn life.”

Bonnie nodded. “Yeah, we get that. Your experience and knowledge is just going to be about what it’s like to be a kid in the system. Doesn’t mean you actually understand how that system works. Marcel can’t explain it, either.”

“So, I’m confused about something. If John is your biological father, then why didn’t he take you when your parents died?”

Elena shrugged. “We weren’t exactly getting along for a while before that. Things have improved since then, but at the time… It had nothing to do with him giving me up. I loved my parents, and was always grateful for John and Isabel giving me to them to raise. But, we weren’t really close. We’ve gotten closer in the past few months, because he’s trying to step up and be a father figure for me now that my dad is gone. But, living with him just wasn’t an option at the time. So Aunt Jenna took me and Jeremy. Families are just complicated.”

Hayley looked at the other two. “What about you guys? Any weird family stories?”

“My father left my mother for another man. He’s still around, sort of. And I actually do like my stepfather. But, they live in another state, so I don’t see much of them, except Skype and facetime.”

“And I am practically being raised by my grandmother. My dad works a lot, and my mom just up and left one day.”

“Wow! So, it seems that we all have complicated home lives.”

“Pretty much, yes. You would think it’s some kind of prerequisite to hang out with us, or something.”

“Well, in that case, I guess I should be glad for mine. I’d hate to be kicked out of the club for being too normal for all of you.”

Caroline cackled. “I like you. You’re fun. But! Enough about our weird, depressing home lives! Back to my personal favorite subject: boys. Who were you asking about, this morning? Was it Elijah? Tell me it was Elijah.” Hayley didn’t say anything, but apparently her face gave her away, because Caroline squealed. “Oh my God! This is perfect!”

“How is it perfect? Yes, I think he’s gorgeous. And he seems really nice. But, he used to date Katherine Pierce for fuck’s sake. He’s not going to be interested in me.”

“All right, first of all, you are just as pretty as Katherine. Second of all, you have something my dear cousin doesn’t.”

“And what’s that?”

“A soul. Katherine really is a bitch. A spoiled little rich girl used to getting everything she wants. She doesn’t care about Elijah for himself. She wants him because he’s rich, good-looking, popular, and… apparently good in bed.” Elena started laughing hysterically at that. “And… judging by how red you just got, I’m guessing I just made you imagine sleeping with Elijah? Sorry, not sorry.”

“You are horrible! Oh my God! I am _not_ thinking about sex with Elijah Mikaelson.” Which was a total lie. But, Hayley was not about to give her new friends that kind of ammunition. True, the teasing was all in good fun, but that didn’t mean she wanted to encourage it.

“Well, that’s actually disappointing.” Damon slid into the booth next to Elena and put his arm around her. “Because that boy seriously needs to find a girl who actually likes him.”

“And you’ve all decided that I should be that girl?” How had she gotten dragged into this, anyway? She still wasn’t even sure how she became a part of this circle of friends to begin with, much less how she ended up at the center of the gossip, already.

“We’ve all decided that you are pretty, and sweet, and I personally think he already likes you, but he’s too stubborn to admit it.”

“And I personally think that you’re delusional.”

He put a hand over his heart. “Ouch! You wound me. Also, you fit right in. Welcome to New Orleans, Hayley. Whatever does or does not happen between you and Elijah, I’m glad you’re here.”

The others all nodded and Hayley flushed. This was definitely a new experience for her, and she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it.

“So, since you mentioned Katherine being a bitch, I take it you had the misfortune of actually meeting her?”

“She’s in my Journalism class. And, apparently heard about Elijah carrying my books and walking me to class.”

“Wait! He did what, now?”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “We ran into each other before school. He commented on me looking lost. When I told him that I was new, he offered to help me find my way around.”

“Hence the floor plan he drew for you. But, get to the carrying your books part.”

“Well, he looked at my schedule, realized that my homeroom is right across from his, and carried my books up to my locker. Then, he met me at my locker before lunch to walk with me to the cafeteria - and carried my books again.”

“And, I noticed he was _also_ carrying her books when they walked out of the building together after school.”

Hayley glared at Caroline. “He was just being nice. Stop reading into everything. Anyway… Apparently Katherine heard about him carrying my books, either before school or to lunch. And she decided to try to warn me off. Accused me of trying to move in on her boyfriend. Told me that he’s taken and I should set my sights elsewhere.”

Elena rolled her eyes. “She is so overdramatic. What did you say to that?”

“I told her that Elijah isn’t her boyfriend anymore, and he can talk to whoever he damn well pleases.” Which got her high fives, not just from Caroline, but from Damon, who urged her to go on. She had to giggle at him being as much of a gossip as the girls. “Then she said that he likes to play hard to get, and they may be on a bit of a break, but he’ll be back and I needed to back off.”

“Tell me you let her have it.” Yes, Damon really was as bad as Caroline.

Hayley hid a smile. “I told her that he seems to agree with everyone else that she’s a bitch, and that I will hang out with him if I damn well please. I might have also said that if I wanted to do more than talk to him, the only one that can tell me that I can’t is him, and that she needed to get over it.” At the stunned looks on their faces she sighed. “No. Don’t go there. I was just goading her. Elijah and I are becoming friends, and that’s all I’m looking for. I said what I said to piss her off. That’s all.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Hayley threw a napkin at Caroline. “Shut up! I do not like him like that. Yes, I think he’s gorgeous. And he seems really nice. But, we’re friends, that’s all.” She was repeating herself. But, apparently, explaining this repeatedly was going to be her life for a while until all of her new friends got it. And then it occurred to her the other member of their group who might find her interest in Elijah quite entertaining. She groaned at the thought of Klaus hopping on this particular bandwagon.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m just wondering how many times I’m going to have to say that before you all actually believe me.”

“Not to mention how many times you’re going to have to say it before you believe it, yourself.”

This time, Hayley threw a spoon at Caroline. “Will you please shut up?”

“I will stop teasing you about Elijah when you stop blushing every time he’s mentioned.”

“Okay guys. Seriously. We’re friends. That’s all. And I don’t want things getting weird between us. So, please. Just keep your theories and innuendos to yourselves. I don’t want him thinking that I like him and things getting awkward between us, okay?”

“You are absolutely no fun. What am I supposed to do with a friend who _obviously_ likes a guy, when I’m not allowed to try to play matchmaker, I’d like to know?”

Hayley shrugged. “I guess you’re supposed to learn that girls and guys can be just friends without wanting in each others’ pants and just leave us alone. Because we’re friends. That’s all. Leave it alone. All of you.”

“Fine! Which means we need to change the subject again. I know! Bonnie! Are you ever going to tell us what is going on with you and Enzo? Seriously. This keeping us in the dark is so not fair.”

“What makes you so sure that something is going on between me and Enzo? I’m with Hayley on this one. A guy and a girl can be friends without it meaning anything more than that.”

“Yeah, but you two sometimes look awfully cozy. I mean, the whole school has been talking about it.”

“I hear that they were seen holding hands. Which, while not making out, is still pretty suspicious.”

Hayley giggled. “Honestly, Damon. How are you dating Elena and not Caroline? You seem to have a lot in common.”

“Too much in common. We’d end up killing each other. But, as gossip buddies, we work.”

Hayley lost track of how long they all sat there, eating greasy burgers and fries and joking with each other. The only dark spot was her stomach starting to act up. She sighed when she realized that it felt like the beginnings of PMS. Which actually made sense considering she had started spotting earlier that day. Wasn’t that just wonderful timing, though? At least she had gotten through her first day before her body decided to betray her.

“Earth to Hayley.”

She blinked. “Sorry, guys. I guess I zoned for a bit, there.” She noticed that at some point, the waitress had brought the check and she reached into her purse for her wallet.

But, Caroline reached across the table to stop her. “Keep your wallet where it is. This is my treat.”

“You don’t have to. I have money.”

“I’m not feeling sorry for the foster kid, if that’s what you think. We all take turns paying. This is my turn. You can pay another time. That’s how it works with us, Hayley. I’m paying for Elena and Bonnie, too.”

Hayley nodded and dropped her wallet back into her purse. “Okay. But I fully intend to take my turn.”

Caroline nodded and paid the bill, then they all stood up. Somehow, it didn’t surprise her when Damon offered to drive them all home.

**~High School Confidential~**

The first thing Hayley did when she got home was run to her room and take her bra off. Christ, her boobs hurt. Which was weird, that was not a usual PMS symptom for her. Then again, she was particularly stressed this week. It made sense that her body would be reacting to that.

It wasn’t until the next morning, when not only had her period not started, but the spotting had stopped that she thought to question it beyond that. She pulled her phone out and checked her period tracker app. Okay, that was weird. She wasn’t due for another three days. And her body didn’t usually give her that much advance warning.

“You okay, Hales?”

“Yeah. I’m fine, Eve. My body is just being stupid. Acting like my damn period is going to start any minute now, but it’s not due for three days. I was spotting yesterday, and now nothing. And, I give up trying to understand.”

Except, her cousin was staring at her. “Hayley, when was the last time you slept with Klaus?”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “The night before camp ended. Though I fail to see what that has to do with anything.”

“So… twelve days ago? And your period is due in three days? Meaning that you slept with Klaus two weeks before that, almost to the day? And now you’re spotting and crampy ahead of schedule?”

Hayley stared at her in horror as she realized where she was going with this. She shook her head. “No. We were careful. We were always careful. I’m not on the pill, or anything, but… he used a condom, Eve. Every time. I’m not stupid. And we never had one break.”

“All it takes is a tiny hole. Could be microscopic. A condom failure isn’t always obvious.”

“So, now I what? Wait? For three days? I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”

“Four days. If you’re due in three days, you won’t be late until four days from now. You can take a test in four days.”

Four days. At some point in the next four days she would find out if her entire world was about to be turned upside down. She wasn’t sure how she would survive it, honestly.


	5. Four Days Has Never Felt So Long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hayley tries to go about her normal routine, but can't help being worried. And then, the moment of truth finally comes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from Wish You Were Gay by Billie Eilish

Hayley shoved her books into her backpack and headed downstairs for breakfast. Which was bacon and eggs. And, there was a lunch bag with her name on it on the counter next to Eve’s.

“Eve just wanted peanut butter and jelly, today, so that’s what I made you, too. But, starting tomorrow, please let me know what you would like. And, the grocery list is posted on the fridge. Feel free to add anything you might want to it. I know you’re not used to this, but this is your home, Hayley. We’re your family.”

Hayley just nodded, and ate her breakfast. But, before leaving for school, she did look over the grocery list and added turkey lunch meat to it. “Whatever Eve wants is fine for this week. But, my favorite is turkey.”

“All right. What do you like on it?”

“Just turkey, mayonnaise and mustard. I mean, I won’t object to cheese, but I already feel like I’m making you go out of your way for me asking for the turkey.”

Her aunt just rolled her eyes. “I expect you to put your favorite kind of cheese on this list when you get home from school, young lady. Now go! I know you already have friends you’re going to want to talk to before classes start. I’ll see you after school.”

Hayley just shook her head and walked out of the house, Eve right on her heels. As she buckled herself into the passenger seat of Eve’s car she closed her eyes with a sigh. “I wonder if she’d be as accommodating if I had added a pregnancy test to her grocery list? What am I going to do, Eve?”

“What you’re going to do is calm down. There’s no point in spending the next four days in a constant state of panic. This could be nothing. It could even be stress. Adding to the stress is not going to help you. So, just relax. Hang out with your friends. And with Elijah. I hear he was seen carrying your books yesterday?”

“Right. Because what I need to be doing while waiting to take a pregnancy test is start hanging out with a boy. I think my life is complicated enough, right now. Besides… if I am pregnant, he’s the baby’s uncle.” She ran a hand over her eyes. “When did my life get this messed up? You and your parents came around, and for once it looked like everything was getting better. And then the first thing I do is make a mess of it. Last summer was the first time I’ve ever been to a summer camp. It was always an expense that none of my foster parents wanted to waste on me. And how do I repay them for it? I go and be a stupid slut who can’t keep her damn legs closed, and may very well be about to bring a baby into their house.” She scoffed at that. “Well. Maybe not. What do you think the odds are of them keeping me when they find out about this? I’ll be back in foster care before I’m even showing.”

“They aren’t going to kick you out, Hayley. Yeah, they might be disappointed, but they love you. It’s going to be okay. And you are not a slut. You made a mistake. It happens. You’re fifteen. You’re expected to make mistakes.”

“I don’t even have the excuse of being in love. I honestly can’t stand the guy. But, he was cute, and… And I was stupid.”

“Enough! Let’s get through the next four days. All right? There is plenty of time to figure out what you’re going to do after you find out if there is even anything to worry about.”

Which was definitely easier said than done. She couldn’t turn her brain off. Couldn’t stop thinking about what could very well already be happening in her body, right now. She couldn’t help it, last night she had googled early pregnancy symptoms. Why in the world were so many of them the same as PMS symptoms, anyway? It was like the universe itself was against women.

Okay, logically she knew the answer to her question was hormones. That knowledge did not make her feel any better. Nor did the thought of sitting next to Klaus in World History and acting like he wasn’t the cause of her latest problem. Fuck! Klaus. So fucking much for pretending he didn’t exist. She could hardly have his baby and not involve him. Wonderful. Perfect. Just what she needed. Eighteen years of dealing with Klaus Mikaelson. She highly doubted they would both survive it.

Granted, that was if he even wanted to be involved. The odds were very good that she was going to end up doing this alone. And wasn’t that just a lovely thought?

The car came to a stop in the student parking lot, and Hayley shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was getting ahead of herself. She didn’t even know for sure if she was pregnant. There was still a very good chance that this was all just a combination of stress and PMS. And, until she took a test that told her otherwise, she was damn well going to do her best to make herself believe that that was all it was.

“You okay, there?”

“Yeah. Just thinking. This is seriously going to be the longest four days of my life. Tell me again why I can’t just take a test now?”

“Because they may be getting better, but they’re still more accurate if you wait. It makes more sense to wait until you’re actually late than to take a test now, maybe have it come up negative, then go right back to this if your period still doesn’t come on schedule. I know that having patience is hard, right now. But really, I’m trying to spare you more aggravation later.”

Hayley scoffed. “And what do you know about it?”

“What? You think I’ve never had to take a pregnancy test? I’m no Virgin Mary, either. Trust me. Just wait a few days. You’ll be saving yourself a lot of heartache in the end.”

“I’m assuming your test came back negative?”

“Yeah. I got lucky. You probably will, too. So, just relax. Now, come on. I’m sure your friends are waiting for you. And it’s never a good idea to keep Caroline waiting.”

Hayley actually giggled at that. “That girl is a force of Nature, I swear.”

“She really is.”

**~High School Confidential~**

And, true to form, Hayley was pounced on as soon as she got in front of the school. “There you are! Anything interesting happen last night?”

 _Yeah. I found out I might be pregnant with Klaus Mikaelson’s baby._ Hayley barely bit back a groan at the thought of having to explain that to her new friends. Especially the two friends who happened to have things for him of their own. Would they hate her?

That was the worst part of all of this. She was making friends, here. People who actually seemed to like her. And there was a very good chance that it would all fall apart, soon. And she didn’t know how to deal with that. Which wasn’t helped when their little group was joined by the boys who were also a part of the circle of friends Hayley somehow found herself in.

“So, I seem to be the only one who didn’t get a chance to meet you, yesterday. I’m Enzo, though I’m guessing you already know that.”

“And I’m Hayley. But, you also probably already know that, since you know the others have met me. But, you aren’t the only one. I haven’t officially met Stefan or Lexi, either.”

“Oh? We’ll need to remedy that. Do you have plans after school, today?”

Hayley turned to the girls, especially her cousin. “Do I have plans after school, today?”

“We should definitely get you introduced to the rest of the group. That is, if you don’t have a family thing, or something.” Leave it to Caroline to be the first to answer. Hayley was already coming to expect that from her.

Eve smiled. “No, no family plans. So, we should definitely all get together and introduce her to Stefan and Lexi. And maybe then Enzo and Bonnie will stop playing games and tell us all what is actually going on with them.”

“I’ll talk about Enzo when Hayley talks about Elijah.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

Bonnie smirked and shrugged. “Well then. Can I count on you, at least, to believe me when I say the same thing?”

Hayley laughed. “Well, since I haven’t seen the two of you interacting, right now I have no choice but to believe you. So, I’m going to reserve judgment. At least for now.”

“And I’ll reserve judgment about you and Elijah until I’ve seen you together. For all that even you admitted to him carrying your books for you.”

“My dear older brother was doing what? Well, then. Isn’t that interesting?”

Hayley whirled around and found herself staring into a pair of laughing blue eyes that she saw way too much of, and way too close up, over the summer. Somewhere in her head was a voice that she really wished would just shut up saying that if she _was_ pregnant, she hoped the baby inherited its father’s eyes. She shook her head at that. _Come on, Hayley. Get it together. You aren’t pregnant. Your body is just being stupid._ Which she really hoped was true. But, with Klaus standing in front of her, she couldn’t help thinking about it.

“You okay there, love?” He was looking at her through narrowed eyes. His expression suspicious.

And then she realized that at some point since hearing his voice, her hand had come up to rest protectively over her stomach. She wanted to drop her hand, but then wondered if that would just make him even more suspicious. “I’m fine. Girl problems, that’s all.”

“Ugh! I hate that time of the month with a passion. I mean, I get that it’s a necessary evil if I ever want to have kids, but like… why can’t I just turn it off until I’m ready for that?”

Hayley couldn’t help thinking that Caroline’s proposed solution would certainly have made her own life easier. But, she didn’t like the way Klaus’s expression somehow became even more suspicious. She had a sinking suspicion that she was in for an interrogation during History class. Wonderful. Just what she needed.

In fact, he kind of looked like he wanted to pull her off somewhere to talk, now. Nope. It wasn’t going to happen. She knew that if she _was_ pregnant, she was going to have to tell him. But, she’d be damned if he heard about it, now.

And then she was saved. By Caroline, of course. “It has occurred to me that somehow we never got your phone number, yesterday. Or gave you ours. If you hand your phone over, we can each just call ourselves and save our numbers at the same time. Save you from having to enter your number into all of our phones.”

Hayley laughed and handed her phone over. And the next few minutes were spent listening to various ringtones going off as her friends all called themselves from her phone.

Klaus was about to hand the phone back to her when she heard Elijah’s voice behind her. “Oh! Are we all giving Hayley our numbers? Hand it over, Niklaus.” How he knew what they were up to was anybody’s guess. Then again, if he had been behind her for more than a few seconds he would have realized that Klaus had just called himself from the phone he was now attempting to hand to Hayley.

Klaus smirked and then handed Elijah Hayley’s phone. Hayley bit back a laugh when Elijah did the exact same thing everyone else had been doing, and then handed the phone to Rebekah, who then gave it to Davina.

Which meant that now the only numbers she didn’t have were Cami, Aiden, Jackson, and Josh. And, they all had her number, too. She bit back a groan as it occurred to her that she had just given Klaus an easier way to interrogate her than passing notes. Wonderful. Perfect. Just what she needed. “Well, I should get to class. I’ll see you all later.”

“Why are you always ditching us?”

“Because I’m still new here, and Elijah didn’t mark the easiest way to get to my homeroom from the front doors on my floor plan.”

“Well, then. I guess I should walk with you, and remedy that. We can’t have you ditching your friends every morning to give yourself time to find your locker.”

Hayley smiled and shook her head. “At least this time, I have my backpack so I won’t have you trying to carry my books.”

“I do apologize if my attempts to be a gentleman made you uncomfortable. You could have just said something, you know.”

“I didn’t say that.”

Elijah just laughed and then turned towards the school before tilting his head at Hayley for her to join him. As she walked with him, she heard her phone’s message tone. She glanced at her incoming text message and laughed.

BB: Our deal is officially off.

HM: Shut up! Elijah and I are just friends. I just met the boy yesterday.

BB: Keep telling yourself that, girl. You’re going to have to dish eventually, you know.

“What’s up?”

Hayley felt her cheeks getting warm. “Nothing. The girls are just being…”

“Themselves. Also known as meddling fools. Let me guess, they think that there is something going on between us, already?”

“Yeah. Does that bother you? I mean… obviously there isn’t anything going on. I just… If you want to stop talking to me to avoid the rumor mill, I would totally understand.”

“I’ve been the subject of the rumor mill around here for a very long time. I don’t mind if you don’t. But, if you want to stop talking to me… I would understand, too.”

Hayley shook her head. Granted, there was a very real chance that things were about to get complicated. And if that happened, she would be dragged into the rumor mill in a way that Elijah probably couldn’t begin to imagine. Her hand drifted to her stomach, again.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine. Girl problems, that’s all.”

“Well, I’m hardly going to try to pretend to have much clue about that. Even with two sisters, I obviously only see it from the outside.”

“Thank you for not trying to give me advice on how to deal with it.”

He laughed. “I do have two sisters. Who would probably try to bludgeon me to death if I had the nerve to try to mansplain dealing with PMS to a girl.”

And at that, Hayley started laughing so hard she had to stop walking and put a hand on the wall to hold herself up. “Well, then I’m glad for your sake that you didn’t try to offer advice” she finally managed to gasp out before getting herself together and starting walking, again.

All too soon, they were at her locker. Elijah took the floor plan he had made her the day before and made some more markings on it. This time from the front door to her locker, and then from her locker to the lunchroom. “There. While you can always just walk with me before school, and to lunch, and after school, this way you aren’t dependent on me.”

“Thank you.” And then, she didn’t know what to say to him. And things were about to get awkward. And then she realized her way out of that hallway. “Umm… I kind of need to run to the restroom before class. I’ll see you at lunch?”

“Before lunch. Unless you don’t want to walk with me, now that you have your map?”

“I’ll see you before lunch, then.” And then she ran to the ladies room. Not to deal with her “girl problems”, but to pee for the third time that morning. And to groan in frustration at the perfectly clean pad she was wearing just in case. She _really_ wished she would just start bleeding already and her body would put her out of this misery.

But, she was going to try really hard not to worry about it. She had more pressing concerns. Like the text from Klaus that came as she was sliding into her seat between Cami and Aiden.

NM: Are you sure that everything is okay?

HM: I’m almost afraid to ask what you could possibly think is wrong.

NM: The fact that you put the whole hand to your stomach thing off as girl problems, but you didn’t actually look like you were in pain.

HM: Do you have a point, Klaus?

NM: I’m just wondering if everything is okay.

HM: What can possibly be wrong that you’re trying to ask me about?

Interestingly, there was no response. And she couldn’t help wondering if he suspected her real problem. Because if he did… He would know damn well that it was his problem too. She groaned. She did not need this, right now.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m PMSing and dealing with idiots who have decided that me giving them my phone number was an invitation to annoy me.” She really, really hoped the first half of that was true. She shrugged. “Speaking of my phone number… Did you guys… I mean…” She wasn’t Caroline. Just assuming that anybody would want to talk to her wasn’t her style.

Cami smiled and held out her phone in one hand, and reached for Hayley’s phone with the other. Once they had exchanged numbers, Aiden did the same thing. And then they had to at least pretend to listen to the announcements being made.

**~High School Confidential~**

Hayley smiled at Elijah as they passed each other in the hall. Then couldn’t help turning to watch him walk away.

Which, unfortunately, did not go unnoticed. “Hello, love. See something you like?”

“Do you plan on spending the entire school year annoying me?”

“Perhaps. You’re cute when you’re flustered.” At her glare, he laughed. “Don’t worry, love. The past is the past. I’m not looking for a repeat.” He snorted. “Wouldn’t dream of trying to compete with Elijah, even if I was interested — which I’m not.”

Hayley sighed and walked into the classroom and to her seat. “Why is everybody so convinced that I like Elijah, anyway?”

“Because when he’s around, you can’t take your eyes off of him.”

“Elijah and I are friends. That’s all.”

He didn’t answer, and she thought that he was actually going to drop it. Until her phone beeped.

NM: Keep telling yourself that. But, you and I have been naked together, and you’ve never looked at me the way you look at him.

HM: Drop it, Klaus. Please. We’re friends, and I don’t want to mess that up.

One good thing about Klaus’s latest way of being annoying, though. It seemed to make him forget that he had other suspicions about her. Which was good. She had no intention of telling him about that unless she absolutely had to.

**~High School Confidential~**

English and French classes were both pretty uneventful. Kol was proving to not be as annoying as Klaus, at least. Then again, Klaus was a tough act to follow if being annoying was your goal. Though, in Kol’s defense, that did not seem to be his goal.

And then it was time for lunch. And somehow, Hayley wasn’t at all surprised to see Elijah standing by her locker when she got there. “What are you, anyway?”

He frowned at her. “Excuse me?”

“My class is just at the other end of the hall, and yet, by the time I get here, you’re not only already here, but have apparently already gone to your own locker. I think I’m going to start calling you Flash.”

Elijah laughed. “My last morning class is just down those stairs. And, yeah. I can be pretty fast when I want to be.” He held out his hands.

Hayley shook her head, but handed him her Economics and Geometry books. “People really are going to start talking if you keep this up. Honestly…” She looked down. “They already are.”

“I won’t apologize for the rest of the school. You know how kids our age are. But, if any of my siblings are included in that, I _will_ apologize for them.” He shrugged. “Maybe I should also apologize for my friends. I think they just are all happy to see me staying away from Katherine, and so are… reading into anything that looks like me having moved on.”

“And have you? Moved on?”

“We are definitely over, if that’s what you’re asking. I really don’t want to talk about her. That was a chapter of my life that really lasted way longer than it should have, but has definitely ended.” He turned and smirked at her. “As for the other possible meaning to your question… As you said yesterday ‘that’s for me to know and you to find out.’”

Hayley laughed at that. But, had that really been just yesterday? It felt like she had known these people her whole life. It was hard to believe that she had just met them, yesterday.

They took their usual seats in the lunchroom and were soon joined by their friends. Lunch was spent chatting away about nothing all that important. Damon solidified their plans to introduce Hayley to Stefan and Lexi after school, which somehow reminded Hayley of the other person she needed to add to their group.

“I also want you guys to all meet Josh. With Katherine already hating me, and him and I kind of hanging out… I don’t want him having to worry about her too much.”

The others all nodded, and Rebekah smiled. “Josh Rosza? He’s in my homeroom. I’ll wait for him at our lockers after school.” And then her eyes lit up. “You know who else we _really_ need to introduce that boy to?”

“Aiden Lovett? Already on my to-do list.”

“And… the girls are matchmaking. Of course they are.”

“Need I remind you that you were getting just as into the gossip as Caroline yesterday, Damon? I won’t repeat the very first thing you said to me when you sat down at the diner.”

Damon laughed. “Touche.”

“What did he say?”

“Let’s just say that Damon is one of the people you were apologizing for on the way here, and leave it at that.”

Hayley laughed as Elijah turned to glare at Damon. But, all too soon, the bell rang, and it was time for them to all go their separate ways.

**~High School Confidential~**

The rest of the school day was a bit of a blur. Hayley exchanged numbers with Jackson, and then with Josh. Managed to avoid actually talking to Katherine, which was a plus, and then once again found Elijah waiting for her at her locker. She rolled her eyes a bit, but couldn’t help admitting to herself that she was coming to like it. She wasn’t ready to admit that she would miss it if he ever stopped, but she could admit that she was enjoying it while it lasted.

Once they were outside, they were joined by their entire circle of friends, including Eve, Cami, and Aiden. Hayley smirked when she saw Aiden in their group, a smirk that only got wider when Rebekah, Davina, and Josh all walked up.

“Okay, first order of business. Everyone, this is Josh. He’s a friend of mine and Davina’s, we met him at orientation.”

“He also may have already gotten on Katherine’s bad side, thanks to me. So, I was hoping that you guys would all kind of keep an eye out for him.”

Marcel was the first to reach out and shake Josh’s hand. “Well, any friend of Davina’s automatically gets me as a big brother. Nice to meet you, Josh.”

Elijah was next. “And, since it’s my fault that Katherine already hates Hayley, that pretty much makes me responsible for you getting on her bad side, too.”

Hayley smiled as the others all welcomed Josh into their group as quickly and easily as she herself had been accepted into it.

And then Damon suddenly raised his arm and waved. “Stefan! Get your ass over here, already!”

Within minutes Hayley and Josh had both been introduced to Stefan and Lexi. But, shortly after that, Eve was pulling on Hayley’s arm. “Sorry, everyone. But we need to get home. Today is my day to make dinner, and I have volunteered Hayley to help. We’ll see you guys, tomorrow.”

“Am I really being recruited to help make dinner? Or are you up to something?”

“You are really being recruited to help make dinner. And then you need to add anything you might want to the grocery list. My mom will have a fit if that list looks the same when she gets home as it did when she left.”

Hayley just laughed and followed her cousin to the parking lot.

**~High School Confidential~**

The rest of the week was little more than a blur. Mainly because Hayley’s mind was more on mentally cataloging what her stupid body was doing, and praying for her damn period to start, than much of anything else.

Meanwhile, her new friends were serving as something of a distraction when they were around. Elijah kept walking with her to homeroom, lunch, and after school — and carrying her books to lunch. Everyone else kept teasing her about him. Katherine spent their Journalism classes glaring daggers at her. Klaus either forgot his suspicions or had decided to ignore them for now.

Hayley, however, could not ignore it. After that first day, there had been no more spotting. Though, there was some mild cramping, and her damn boobs were insanely sensitive. She was not taking that as a good sign. When she still hadn’t started bleeding by the end of the school day on Friday, she was the one to cut the gathering after school short, citing wanting to get her homework done so she had her weekend free.

Once she was buckled into the passenger seat of Eve’s car, she sighed. “We need to go to the drug store.”

Eve nodded, but didn’t say anything. Luckily, there wasn’t anybody Hayley knew at the store when she bought her pregnancy test. She shoved it into her backpack as soon as she was in the car.

Friday night was pizza night in the Labonair house. Usually Hayley’s favorite night of the week. But, that night, her stomach wanted no part of it. She tried to chalk it up to nerves, and forced herself to have two slices, just so her aunt and uncle wouldn’t ask if she was feeling okay.

As soon as dinner was over, she ran up to her room to start on homework. She really did have a paper for English that she wanted to get started on, not that she was going to finish it, tonight. Even if her mind had been properly on it.

It was almost eleven when she gave up on trying to concentrate on homework and went to bed. Though, not to sleep. Instead, she tossed and turned, her mind running a million miles an hour. Weirdly enough, it wasn’t so much how she was going to raise a baby that had her so worried. Apparently, the Mikaelsons had money, and she had a feeling that Elijah wouldn’t let Klaus shirk his responsibilities. So, they would probably be okay, there.

No, what had her scared to death was the thought of having to tell everyone. What her aunt and uncle would say. Whether they would still want to keep her if she became a package deal. How her new friends would react. If Caroline and Cami would end up hating her over her sleeping with Klaus. Being branded the school slut, getting pregnant with a guy she wasn’t even actually dating.

It was six in the morning when she gave up. Her bladder was ready to take this damn test, anyway. And then, five minutes later, she was staring at two pink lines. “No. Shit.” She put her hand to her stomach and then sank to the floor and cried.


	6. I Fake A Smile So He Won't See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hayley spends her weekend hanging out with her friends, and pretending that everything is fine. And Monday avoiding Elijah after blurting out her news in the least tactful way possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from Teardrops On My Guitar by Taylor Swift

She didn’t know how long she sat there crying on her bathroom floor. Eventually, there was a knock on the door. “Hayley? Is everything okay?”

Thank God it was Eve and not her aunt or uncle. Hayley pushed herself to her feet and went and answered the door, pulling her cousin into the room and closing the door behind her. She nodded at the counter where her pregnancy test lay. “Not really, no.”

“Fuck. Come here, kiddo.” Eve pulled Hayley into her arms and held her while she cried. “It’s going to be okay. I know that everything seems horrible, right now, but I promise that you’re going to figure things out, and you’ll be okay.”

Hayley didn’t say anything. But, she didn’t know how anything could possibly be okay. “Right. I mean, how bad can it possibly be? I’m just having a baby, at fifteen, with a guy I can’t stand, whose brother I have a major crush on. It’ll be fine.” And then she started laughing at the utter absurdity of her predicament. “My life has just become a fucking movie. No. Not even a movie. I am an after school special.”

Eve sighed. “Come on, let’s go somewhere not here.” She grabbed the pregnancy test and its box, then took Hayley’s hand and led her back to her bedroom. “All right, first things first. You need to start thinking about what you’re going to do. And you need to talk to Klaus.”

“Yeah. That’s going to be a fun conversation. So, guess what? It turns out that you can do everything right, not have any noticeable issues, and still end up pregnant. Ask me how I know.”

“Okay, maybe not the best way to put it. But, you shouldn’t have to do this alone. You need to talk to him for your sake, as well as his.”

Hayley just nodded. Then she wiped her eyes, tossed the pregnancy test and box into her wastebasket, and walked to her bedroom door. “Well, now I get to go pretend that nothing is wrong. And, that’s another thing I’m going to have to figure out. How to tell your parents. But, you’re right. Klaus needs to be first. He has a right to know, and I need to know exactly where I stand.”

They went down to the kitchen and poured themselves bowls of cereal. And then Eve apparently decided that her way of distracting Hayley from her problems was to latch onto one normal part of her predicament. “So… did I hear you admit to having a crush on Elijah Mikaelson?”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “Listen to you acting like you’re surprised. When you’ve been teasing me about him pretty much since the first day of school. My life would be a lot less complicated if he had been a jerk. But, no. He has to be just as nice as he is gorgeous. And, yeah… I’m not about to admit it to anyone else, but I like him. Not that I have a chance in Hell with him, even without the latest wrinkle my life just developed.”

Which, of course, led to her cousin teasing her. “Please, girl! We’ve all seen the way he looks at you. I’m pretty sure that he likes you, too.”

“Which… even if he does, is probably going to change when he finds out about this. I mean, what guy wants to date his brother’s baby mama, right?” And then she looked around, making sure her aunt and uncle weren’t in earshot.

“You are seriously overthinking this, Hales. You need to take a few deep breaths. Figure out what you want to do about it. Talk to Klaus and find out how involved he’s going to be. Get yourself sorted out. And then you can figure out the rest. But, you and Klaus need to decide what you’re going to do before you start bringing other people into this. Even my parents.”

Hayley just nodded. And then her phone beeped. She glanced at it and couldn’t help but smile when she saw it was a text from Cami.

CO: Hey girl! Texting so that you can just reply when you wake up, since I know most people aren’t up this early on a Saturday. But, we never solidified plans for this weekend. Do you still want to hang out?

HM: Heck yeah! Tell me where and when you want to meet.

CO: How does the mall in like two hours sound? Do some shopping therapy, grab lunch later. I know that it’s such a cliche, but I can’t help it.

HM: It’s a cliche for a reason. Sounds like a plan. Do you have a way there, or should I have Eve pick you up?

CO: I can meet you there. How do you feel about inviting Aiden? Totally cool if you want it to be just us girls, and I haven’t said anything to him, so…

HM: Yes! Invite him! Is it all right if Eve is more than just my chauffeur? I mean, assuming she wouldn’t rather go off and do her own thing, anyway?

CO: Absolutely ask if she wants to hang out with us! The more the merrier.

HM: Awesome. See you in a couple hours.

She turned to Eve. “So, Cami, Aiden, and I are all meeting up at the mall in like two hours. Two questions. One, can you drive me? And two, did you want to hang out with us, or would you prefer to do your own thing?”

“I can drive you. And it would be cool to all hang out, as long as you’re sure it’s okay with them.”

“Already asked them.” Hayley stood up and brought her empty cereal bowl to the sink to wash it. “Well, I’m going to go get a shower and get dressed. I’m not sure exactly what the plan is beyond a general ‘shopping therapy’ and hitting the food court for lunch.” And then she headed upstairs.

After her shower, she couldn’t help looking at herself critically in the mirror. Her stomach was still perfectly flat. Which was to be expected. But, now she couldn’t help looking for signs that she knew weren’t going to show up for probably months.

She tried not to think about the outward sign that was likely to be the first to make an appearance. When did morning sickness start, anyway? How long did she have before she had to start explaining that? She wasn’t sure which she was dreading more, the morning sickness itself, or people questioning her about it.

She sighed. There was plenty of time to worry about that, later. For today, she was going to forget her problems and hang out with her friends and have fun. And then she was going to start trying to figure out how to tell Klaus about his impending fatherhood. The rest could wait. If she was going to let herself worry, she was at least going to be somewhat logical and worry about how he was going to react.

She dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, planning her outfit more for ease of removal in case she wanted to do some clothes shopping than for looks. She scoffed at that. Clothes shopping. Right. She should probably hold off on clothes shopping. Nothing she bought would fit in a few months, and who knew if she would ever fit into them again? Pregnancy and childbirth were not exactly kind to a woman’s body, after all.

She shrugged and put her hair into a ponytail. Well, she probably shouldn’t buy anything, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t try things on. She could still have fun. And, actually, there was the Homecoming dance coming up. She probably wouldn’t be showing yet, for that. She could at least shop for a Homecoming dress. Maybe get it a bit loose, just in case she started putting on weight before then. She groaned. Homecoming. She knew who she wanted to go with. But, she really doubted he would ask her. Elijah Mikaelson could have any girl he wanted. Why would he ask her, of all people, to the Homecoming dance?

All right. Enough negative thoughts. She was still going to start getting ideas for a Homecoming dress. She wouldn’t buy anything, yet. She had a feeling that Caroline would murder her if she didn’t include her in the shopping process. But, she could try things on and have fun. And she was sure that all of the girls would be going on a major dress-shopping excursion closer to the dance. And she would go with. And buy something cute. And even if Elijah didn’t ask her, she would go by herself and have fun.

Decision made, she pulled her make-up bag out and put on a bit of foundation, powder, blush, and lipgloss. After a critical look at herself, she added a thin line of eyeliner, just to draw attention to her eyes, and then she headed downstairs.

“So, where are you girls off to, today?”

Hayley smiled at her uncle. “Meeting Cami and Aiden at the mall. I don’t know that we have any specific plans, but we’ll definitely be eating lunch, there.”

The next hour or so was spent chatting with her family about school. It was weird, having them actually interested in the subject. She wasn’t used to the adults around her actually caring about even how well she did, much less how she felt about her classes. But, her aunt and uncle were genuinely attentive, and seemed to actually be interested. She wasn’t sure she was ever going to get used to that. But, then it was time to leave.

**~High School Confidential~**

“Hey you!”

Hayley laughed at hearing Cami yelling across the parking lot at her. “Have you guys been waiting long?”

“Nope. Just got here, ourselves. Let’s go inside. Are there any stores in particular you want to check out?”

“I was thinking of looking at dresses for Homecoming. Not to buy anything, yet. I think Caroline would murder me if I bought a Homecoming dress without her. But, to get ideas.”

“Oh yeah. Nobody that Caroline likes goes dress shopping without her. But, we can definitely get ideas. That is, if Aiden won’t be bored stiff.”

Aiden shrugged. “There is only so much you can do to a suit. Helping you girls get dress ideas sounds like a lot more fun than deciding what I’m going to wear, myself. Though… I might have you help me look at some suits, anyway.” It was his blush that made Hayley give him a speculative look.

“Somebody in particular you want to look good for?”

“Well, we aren’t ready for me to ask him to Homecoming, yet. But… I do have a date with Josh next Friday.”

Hayley squealed. “Oh my God! That is so perfect! When did this happen? Who asked? Tell me everything!”

Aiden laughed. “I asked him, yesterday. We had been kind of hanging out after you and Rebekah introduced him to the group on Tuesday. And, I like him.” He shrugged. “It’s just a movie, nothing major. Stop squealing. You’re acting like Caroline.” He smirked at her. “Speaking of people playing matchmaker, what is going on with you and Elijah?”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “Nothing is going on with me and Elijah. We’re just friends. He’s just been trying to help me get settled in at school, that’s all.”

Aiden scoffed. “Girl, please! You have an entire circle of friends to help you get settled in. In fact, considering just who that circle of friends consists of, I would call you pretty damn settled. The Mikaelsons, Salvatores, and their group are the damn It crowd around here. I think that after a week of hanging out with them, you are doing all right. And yet, there’s Elijah Mikaelson, still walking you to class. Everyone is talking about it.”

Perfect. Just what she needed. To be the damn center of the rumor mill, already. That was going to be great fun when her pregnancy became common knowledge.  _Oh look. It’s that tramp Hayley Marshall. Got pregnant by Klaus Mikaelson and then latched onto his older brother before she even started showing. I wonder who she’s planning as her next conquest?_ She bit back a groan. She really didn’t need this. “Enough! Come on. Let’s go shopping.”

The next several hours were spent going from store to store. There wasn’t much rhyme or reason to their adventures. They looked at everything from books to home decor — why a bunch of high school kids were looking at home decor was anybody’s guess — to clothes.

Hayley bought a cute undated planner with tentative plans to use it as a pregnancy calendar. But, even that didn’t make it really click in her head. It was when Eve had to pull her away from The Children’s Place before Cami or Aiden could ask her what was so interesting that it hit her. She was actually planning for this baby. Somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, she had made her decision. As stupid as it was, as much as she was nowhere near ready for this, she was keeping this baby. Which meant she needed to talk to Klaus. Not that she was looking forward to that.

After lunch, they decided to do some preliminary Homecoming window shopping. Aiden sighed at the suit selection. “Why are men’s clothes so boring, anyway?”

“We’ll have to ask Caroline for suggestions for you, later. Or Elijah.”

Eve hummed. “If anybody can figure out a way to make a basic suit look amazing, it’s Elijah Mikaelson. Cami is right. Get him to go shopping with you. You will not regret it. You’ll knock Josh’s socks off.”

And now Hayley was picturing Elijah in a suit — and really liking that mental image. Which she definitely needed to get out of her head. So, she did the sensible thing and pounced on poor Aiden, who was the only one their current group who actually had a date lined up. “Speaking of which, what are you wearing on Friday?”

“Not a suit. Like I said, it’s just a movie. I can manage to make myself look date-worthy for that without outside help. But!” And he rubbed his hands together. “Now for the fun part. Okay girls, time for you to play dress-up.”

Playing dress-up could definitely describe how they spent their afternoon. They tried on everything. Including some things they hated from the beginning, just needing a laugh. But, Hayley did find a major contender among the silliness. Dark blue, somewhere between navy and sapphire. Deep v-neckline that showed off the swells of her breasts without being slutty, with the neckline in the back matching it. Cap sleeves covered in sequins which had her envisioning the light reflecting off of it at the dance. Form-fitting, but with enough give that she wasn’t worried too much about it still fitting. Floor-length, which seemed a bit much for Homecoming, but she couldn’t help smiling at the way it swirled around her ankles when she spun.

When she stepped out of the fitting room, Cami, Aiden, and Eve all stared at her with jaws dropped. And then Cami snapped a picture on her phone. “Okay, sending this to Caroline. You just might have found a winner, there.”

Hayley rolled her eyes and went back into the fitting room. They all tried on a few more things, and then decided to call it a day. Except that Hayley’s phone beeped as they were getting ready to leave the store. She had to laugh at her text message.

CF: Okay, we are going to the store tomorrow so that I can see that in person. But, I think you just found your Homecoming dress, girl!

HM: You think so? I mean, I love it, but… it’s not too much?

CF: I say it is just enough. The boys are gonna drool. And are you really going to pretend that making Elijah drool isn’t on your to-do list?

HM: Leave Elijah out of this. But, fine. We’ll come back tomorrow so you can see the dress in person.

She looked up at the others. “Well, that blue dress has a tentative seal of approval from Caroline. Apparently, we’re coming back tomorrow so that she can see it in person. But, it looks like I may have found my Homecoming dress.” Now all she needed was a Homecoming date.

But, that seemed to be the cue for them to let their excursion come to an end. Cami and Aiden agreed to meet up with them the next day so that they could be there when Caroline saw The Dress. Somehow, when they talked about it, Hayley could just hear the capital letters. The thing had taken on an entire personality, somehow.

Eve drove Cami and Aiden home, and then she and Hayley headed back to their own house, getting there just in time for dinner.

**~High School Confidential~**

It ended up not being just Caroline who met them at the mall the next day. All of the girls in their group showed up, and they decided to actually start doing their own serious dress-shopping.

First up, though, was for Hayley to model The Dress for them so that Caroline could make the final call. “Girl! I hate you!”

Hayley looked up, hurt. “I’m sorry, what?”

“It’s fine for Elena and Lexi. They have boys that are totally devoted to them. But, how in the world are the rest of us supposed to compete with you, I’d like to know? Every eye is going to be on you. There will be no boys left for the rest of us.”

“Well, she could wear a burlap sack and a certain boy wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off of her, anyway. It doesn’t matter _what_ the girl wears, there’s no competing with her for _his_ attention, regardless. And since he is also the only one whose opinion _she_ cares about, really the only one whose chances have changed is Katherine.”

Hayley blushed. “Will you all stop it? And seriously. Stop with jokes about me and Elijah. We’re friends. That’s all.”

Caroline rolled her eyes. “I would tell you to keep kidding yourself, but I don’t think that’s it, anymore. Why are you trying so hard to keep us from figuring out what we all already know, anyway? You have the hots for Elijah Mikaelson. It’s obvious. It’s also equally obvious that he has the hots for you. So, since you both desperately want in each others’ pants, can you please just stop doing… whatever it is you’ve been doing all week and just go for it, already?”

“I’ve known him for a week. I’m hardly going to just jump his bones. Shut up!”

“You’ll notice that she has stopped denying liking him? Also, she’s turning red. I think we’ve finally gotten something close to an admission out of her.”

“Fine! If I admit to liking him, will you all leave me alone?”

Caroline pretended to think about it. “For today, at least. But, seriously. Buy this dress. Wear it to Homecoming. You just might end up not being the one to take it off of you.”

Hayley rolled her eyes, but when she changed out of the dress, she didn’t put it back on the hanger. While having Elijah be the one to take it off her was  _not_ going to happen, she was kind of looking forward to seeing his face when he saw her in it. And part of her was still hoping that that would be in her living room, when he came to pick her up for their date. 

She sighed. She was hopeless. There was no way Elijah freaking Mikaelson liked her like that. And, even if he did… she was pregnant with his brother’s baby. While she was hardly ready for that to become public knowledge, she had no delusions that Elijah was not going to be the first person Klaus went to for advice when she finally got up the courage to tell him. And there was no way he was going to want anything to do with her once that happened. She put her hand to her stomach. “You, little one, are certainly one heck of a wrinkle in Mommy’s plans for her life, you know that?”

Things would certainly be easier if she just asked Klaus for some money and a ride to the clinic. But… somehow, that wasn’t what she wanted. And she wasn’t quite sure why.

Hayley ended up being the only one to buy anything. The others all had a few contenders, but nothing that made them talk in capital letters like they all did about Hayley’s dress. So, after making plans to come back in a few weeks to look some more, they all went home.

**~High School Confidential~**

Hayley slammed her locker closed. She had ditched everyone, that morning, being tired of faking that everything was fine when her world was falling apart. And she still hadn’t gotten up the courage to tell Klaus. She didn’t know how she was going to do this. She could figure out the whole motherhood thing. That actually felt easy compared with telling people about it. And  _that_ actually felt easier than hiding it from everyone.  _God damn Klaus Mikaelson to Hell and back._ That wasn’t really fair. He hadn’t done this alone, after all. It was just as much her fault as his.

“So, what did my idiot brother do, this time?”

Hayley hadn’t even known that she had said that out loud. And it took her a bit too long to wrap her brain around what Elijah could possibly be asking her.

“Hayley? What did he do?”

Her brain wouldn’t work. She couldn’t process anything enough to try to come up with something to say. And then she accidentally blurted out the only answer she had. “Knocked me up.”

It was the shocked look on Elijah’s face that made her realize that she said  _that_ out loud, too. She mentally swore. This was definitely not how she wanted Elijah to find out. She could see the questions in his eyes. But, she couldn’t deal with this, right now. She couldn’t deal with Elijah, and his questions. “I… I’ll see you at lunch, Elijah.” And she booked it to the one place he couldn’t follow her, the sound of him calling her name echoing behind her.

**~High School Confidential~**

She stayed in the ladies’ room until the warning bell for homeroom rang, then prayed that Elijah would have given up and gone into his own classroom by that point. Which, she lucked out on, as he wasn’t in the hallway when she went out there.

Her phone beeped, and she didn’t even look at it, before turning it off. She knew what it would be. A text from Elijah, wanting to talk to her about that little bombshell she just dropped. But, she wasn’t ready to talk to him. She still hadn’t even talked to Klaus. How had her life gotten so messed up, anyway?

“You okay? Elijah was standing outside our door looking like an abandoned puppy when I got to class. But, when I asked him what was up, he just told me not to worry about it. But… it seemed weird to see him there and not talking to you.”

“Elijah and I are just friends. We are not dating. We never were. We never will. I had to run to the restroom, that’s all. I don’t know why he was hanging out by our door.”

Cami didn’t look convinced, but she dropped it. And, luckily, Elijah didn’t have time to stop her to talk after homeroom. So, she was drama-free until lunch.

She groaned as Klaus slid into the seat beside her. Okay, not completely drama-free. There was the actual  _cause_ of all the drama still to contend with, after all.

“Hello, love. Have a good weekend? You disappeared early this morning. Caroline said to tell you that you need to stop doing that. Apparently it’s fine when you leave the group early to walk with Elijah to class, but not by yourself. I’m curious as to what exactly my big brother is supposed to be protecting you from in the halls of our school.”

Hayley just laughed. “It’s Caroline. Do I really need to say more?”

“Aahh… I see. Caroline is doing what she does best and trying to play matchmaker. Should I be hurt that she’s paired you with Elijah in her head, and not me?”

“I don’t know, Klaus. I thought that you weren’t interested, anyway?”

He shrugged. “Oh, I’m not. I just like messing with you. It’s fun. So…  _do_ you like Elijah?”

“That is hardly any of your concern. Stay out of my love life, Klaus.”

Amazingly, he actually shut up after that.

The rest of the morning went by quickly enough. Actually, too quickly. For the first time since starting at this school, Hayley was not really looking forward to lunch. To the point that she brought her Geometry and Economics books to French class so that she wouldn’t have to stop at her locker. She didn’t want to walk with Elijah. Too much opportunity for him to try to ask her about Klaus. Not that she really thought he would say anything while walking through the halls. But, she just couldn’t deal with him, right now.

Not that she had much choice once she actually got to lunch. She knew that if she tried to sit somewhere else, the best case scenario was that the others would just follow her. The worst case scenario was that they would also question why she didn’t want to sit with them.

Luckily, Elijah had enough tact to keep his questions to himself while the others were around. Though, it was obvious that he had them. Though, the gut punch was the hurt look in his eyes when he took his usual seat across from her. She wasn’t sure which part of this had him looking like that, though. And she could hardly ask him when they weren’t alone.

True, she could turn her phone back on and text him. But, that would leave an opening for him to question her. And nope. Not going there, right now.

And so, they sat and ate their lunch, and chatted with their friends. And ignored the elephant in the room that only they could see. And when she jumped up as soon as the bell rang and ran out the door, he didn’t stop her. If any of the others noticed the tension between them, they didn’t say anything. Which was just as well. It saved her the trouble of trying to make something up. And she had proven that morning how bad she was that when she was put on the spot.

**~High School Confidential~**

“Hey you! I was going to call you, this weekend. But, then Aiden mentioned having plans with you and Cami.” Jackson smiled at her.

“Yeah. We went and hung out at the mall on Saturday. Did some shopping. Then met up with the girls on Sunday for more shopping.” She laughed. “I’m not quite sure how Aiden ended up being included with the girls, though. Not complaining about him being there. It was fun. It’s just kind of funny.”

Jackson shrugged. “I heard he had fun, too. So, it worked out. Regardless of how it happened. But, speaking of Aiden… I’m chauffeuring him and Josh on Friday, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with and make it a double date?”

“I… Jackson, look… I’m flattered…”

His face fell. “But, you’re not interested.”

“It’s nothing against you. I just have a lot going on, right now. I’m definitely not in the right mindset to date anyone. I would be the worst company, ever. Maybe a raincheck? When my head is screwed on properly?” Not that she really wanted to go out with Jackson. She already had her eye on someone. But, since that someone was hardly going to want anything to do with her, once he was done interrogating her about her relationship with his brother, it maybe didn’t hurt to keep her options open. And Jackson was cute, and sweet. And apparently liked her. “Actually, scratch that. I think that a date is exactly what I do need. Take my mind off the rest of my problems.”

He smiled. “Well, maybe not the enthusiastic response I was hoping for, but I’ll take it. I’ll call you, tonight to make proper plans.”

Hayley smiled and nodded. While inside she was wondering what she had just agreed to — and why. Nothing against Jackson. But, he wasn’t Elijah. And she wasn’t sure she was really being fair to him. But, she would go to the movies with him, Aiden, and Josh. And she would let herself have fun. And she would not think about Elijah Mikaelson. Or Klaus Mikaelson. Or the newest Mikaelson that had recently taken up residence in her uterus. She had a feeling that by Friday night, she was really going to need that.

**~High School Confidential~**

She somehow never got around to telling Aiden or Josh that she was now going with on their date. Though, she had a feeling that Jackson would tell Aiden, later. Explaining that would be fun.

But first, she had to get through the end of her day. It didn’t at all surprise her to see Elijah leaning against her locker when she got there after Journalism. He smiled at her, but didn’t say anything. Which was just as well. She wasn’t sure what to say to him, either. But, then he pulled his phone out and held it up.

She sighed, knowing what he wanted. They couldn’t talk. Not here. Far too many ears. But, he obviously had something he needed to say, that apparently couldn’t wait. She took her phone out of her purse and turned it on. It beeped a few seconds later.

EM: Does he know?

HM: Not yet. Still trying to figure out how to tell him. Right now, only you, me, and Eve know.

There wasn’t a return text. And when she scrolled up, she saw that while he had tried to text her throughout the day, it was just asking if she was okay. None of the questions she was sure he had. It was kind of surprising, actually.

When they got outside, most of their group was already there. Weirdly, Eve was the one missing. “So, Eve took off muttering something about the library? I think her English paper might be frying her brain. Luckily, it’s not as if you don’t have options for getting home.”

Luckily. Or… not so luckily. “I’ll drive you home if you want?”

No. It was certainly not what she wanted. The last thing she wanted right now was to be alone with Elijah Mikaelson. In his car, with nobody else around, there would be no excuse for avoiding his questions. But, it would look even more suspicious if she turned him down. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

“Well, if Elijah is driving Hayley home, that means that I’m either riding with Nik, or bugging Marcel.” Well, if that wasn’t an obvious “leave the two lovebirds alone” ploy from Rebekah, nothing ever would be.

Not that Hayley was going to admit to knowing what she was up to. Especially not when Rebekah was the one person that could save her from an interrogation. “Do you not like me, or something? What did I do?”

Rebekah smirked at her. “I like you just fine. But, I know how to tell when I would be a third wheel.”

“We’re just friends, Rebekah.” Elijah kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll see you at home.” And then he tilted his head. “Well, Hayley? Shall we get you home?”

Hayley just nodded and followed Elijah to his car. “Thanks for the ride. You didn’t have to.”

“Well, this gives us a chance to talk.” He opened the door for her and then went around to the driver’s side. Once they were out of the parking lot, he glanced over at her and then back to the road. “So, you going to explain your comment, this morning?”

  
  



	7. I'm Not That Innocent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elijah spends the school day trying to deal with his own feelings about Hayley's bombshell. Then has a very long talk with her about it. And another one with Klaus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from Oops, I Did It Again by Britney Spears.

Elijah smiled as Hayley and Eve walked over to the group of girls gathered near the front of the school. He was just about to walk over there when Hayley left the group and walked into the school, alone. He frowned at that. This was the first time she hadn’t waited for him since they had met. And he realized he didn’t like it. He mentally went over the last time they had talked, wondering if he had done something wrong that would explain her not even saying hello to him, this morning.

He couldn’t think of anything, but maybe there was something that didn’t seem like a big deal to him that had upset her. And there was only one way to find out. He turned around and followed her, ignoring the looks from his friends.

He found her at her locker, and had just walked up to her about to ask her what was wrong when she slammed her locker closed.

“God damn Klaus Mikaelson to Hell and back.”

Well, at least it wasn’t him that she was mad at. Which should not have been his first thought, but he couldn’t help it. “So, what did my idiot brother do, this time?”

Hayley whirled around to look at him, a deer in the headlights look on her face. And stayed silent.

Elijah felt sick. What the hell could that idiot have done to Hayley to get her looking like that? Yes, Niklaus could be a dick, sometimes. But, Hayley was looking downright scared. Like whatever it was his brother had done, it was something she didn’t want him to know about. “Hayley? What did he do?” At this point, he wasn’t sure he actually wanted the answer to that. Though, if he was going to bust Niklaus’s head open later, he should probably know why.

Hayley’s mouth was working, like she was trying to say something, anything, but couldn’t figure out what that should be. And then she said the thing that maybe he should have almost expected, but was certainly the furthest thing from his mind. “Knocked me up.”

He just stared at her. He couldn’t have actually heard that right. Hayley was pregnant… with Niklaus’s baby… About a million questions ran through his head.

But before he could concentrate enough to ask any of them, she shook her head. “I… I’ll see you at lunch, Elijah.” And she turned and all but ran down the hall to the ladies room.

“Hayley, wait! Hayley!” He was tempted to follow her. He needed to talk to her, find out what was going on. More importantly, if she was okay. But, it would be his luck that a teacher would catch him. And getting suspended or worse was not high on his list of things he wanted to do.

So, he did the only thing he could do. He stood at her locker and waited for her to come back. At some point, Cami passed by him and asked him what was wrong and he told her not to worry about it. But, Hayley never returned. And when the warning bell rang, he had no choice but to get to his own class. Especially since he had a sinking suspicion that if Hayley walked out of the restroom and he was still in the hallway, she would just go right back in and end up ditching homeroom. The girl had enough problems, right now. He didn’t need to go adding to them.

As he slid into his seat, he took his phone out and texted Hayley.

EM: Are you okay?

But, there was no return text. He sighed. Apparently she was going to completely ignore him, now. Wonderful.

He gave her an encouraging smile as they passed each other in the hall after homeroom, but didn’t try to talk to her. He could hardly ask any of the questions he wanted to ask her in a crowded school hallway. Besides, he knew that she and Niklaus had class together, first period. And his little brother was the last person he wanted to see, right now. So, he just went to his own classes and tried to actually concentrate on his lessons. And texted Hayley after every class, asking if she was okay.

Part of him was aware that continuing to text her when all of his previous messages were still on undelivered was pointless at best, and downright stalkerish at worst. But, he couldn’t help being worried about her. Besides, worrying about Hayley kept him from thinking too hard about his initial reaction to her anger and fear. And the fact that for a minute there had been a part of him — not a conscious part, and small, but still there — that had been ready to believe the absolute worst of his own brother.

And so, since he wasn’t ready to examine that part of himself, he needed to let himself concentrate on Hayley. Even if that meant coming off as a bit of a stalker.

When the bell rang ending his last class before lunch, he was out the door before it had even stopped ringing. He ran up the stairs two at a time, needing to get to Hayley’s locker before she did. Except, she never showed up. His heart broke as he realized that her avoidance of him had even extended to going to lunch straight from her last class, without stopping at her locker first. Because there was only one reason for her to do that. She was avoiding him.

He slammed his own locker closed and went down to the cafeteria. At least she was still sitting in her usual seat. She might be doing her best to avoid him, but she wasn’t extending that to their entire friend group. He knew that she could probably tell that he was hurt. And part of him felt guilty for that. She shouldn’t have to worry about him, right now. But, he couldn’t help it. Knowing that she didn’t even want to walk to lunch with him had hurt like Hell. Maybe that was stupid, but there it was.

And he couldn’t even say anything to her about it. Not in front of the others. So, they just chatted with their friends, and if anybody noticed that they hardly spoke to each other, nobody said anything. And when Hayley was the first one to jump up when the bell rang, he let her go. There was nothing he could do about it, right now. Except keep texting her between classes, keep trying to let her know that he was there if she needed to talk to someone. And try not to be hurt when she continued to ignore him.

Until the end of the day. His last class was closer to their lockers than hers was. And he was faster than her. He was waiting for her at her locker when she got there. He smiled at her, but didn’t say anything. He honestly wasn’t sure what  _to_ say. Though, there was one question that needed to be answered before they left school. He pulled his phone out and held it up, silently asking her to let him text her — and actually look at it, this time.

She sighed and pulled her phone out of her purse, and turned it on. His heart clenched at that. At the fact that she had been so intent on avoiding him that she had turned her phone completely off. She had avoided  _everyone_ out of not wanting to talk to him.

But, that was a concern for later. First, he needed to know how to handle his brother when he got home.

EM: Does he know?

HM: Not yet. Still trying to figure out how to tell him. Right now, only you, me, and Eve know.

Which meant that he couldn’t lecture the idiot on his irresponsibility and recklessness. Perfect. He and Hayley walked in uncomfortable silence, until they got outside where most of their friends were. All but one.

“So, Eve took off muttering something about the library? I think her English paper might be frying her brain. Luckily, it’s not as if you don’t have options for getting home.”

No, Hayley certainly wasn’t lacking in options. Elijah glanced over at Niklaus. He knew that that was probably actually Eve’s plan. That she had pretended to be frazzled in order to give Hayley an excuse to ask him for a ride home. But, as much as he knew that she needed to talk to his brother, he couldn’t help wanting to talk to her, himself. “I’ll drive you home if you want?”

The look she gave him told him that that was the last thing she wanted, and guilt over putting her on the spot like that kicked him in the gut. But, it was done, now. He could hardly rescind his offer. And, unfortunately, she also couldn’t refuse it without making everyone suspicious.

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

“Well, if Elijah is driving Hayley home, that means that I’m either riding with Nik, or bugging Marcel.”

“Do you not like me, or something? What did I do?” It was obvious to Elijah that Hayley was grasping at straws, all but begging Rebekah to not leave her and Elijah alone together. Which just made his guilt worse.

“I like you just fine. But, I know how to tell when I would be a third wheel.”

Great. Now for the assumptions that him driving Hayley home would end in a kiss goodbye. It was really the last thing the poor girl needed, right now. “We’re just friends, Rebekah.” He kissed his sister on the cheek. “I’ll see you at home.” And then he tilted his head. “Well, Hayley? Shall we get you home?”

As they walked to the parking lot, he knew that the others were watching them. And that Rebekah wasn’t the only one who had jumped to conclusions about them. And maybe those conclusions weren’t so off base when it came to him, but Hayley was currently barely tolerating him. “Thanks for the ride. You didn’t have to.”

No, and she was probably wishing he hadn’t. But, they were stuck with each other. And so, they might as well get this over with. Maybe then things could go back to the way they were. “Well, this gives us a chance to talk.” He opened the door for her and then went around to the driver’s side. Once they were out of the parking lot, he glanced over at her and then back to the road. That was one advantage to doing this like this. He had to watch the road. He could at least spare her having him looking at her while they talked. “So, you going to explain your comment, this morning?” Perhaps not the best way to start the conversation, but he couldn’t think of a more tactful way to put it.

“What’s to explain? I’m pregnant. It’s Klaus’s. I’ve spent all weekend trying to figure out how to tell him. ‘Trying’ is the operative word, there.”

“How in the world did this happen?” Okay, stupid question. But, he was certainly not thinking clearly.

He could practically hear her rolling her eyes at him. “Do you want details?”

“No. I most certainly do not want details about my brother’s sex life, thanks.” Especially not when those details involved the girl that Elijah liked, himself. “I’m guessing, due to timing, that it was at summer camp?” Which would actually explain her blush when she mentioned knowing him. She was blushing over just how _well_ she knew him. Not that Elijah really wanted to think about that aspect of this.

“Yeah. We… It started a couple weeks into camp. I don’t even remember what the activity that day was supposed to be. But, I didn’t feel like it, whatever it was. Can’t remember why, either. But, whatever it was, it had taken everyone else away from the cabins. And so, I was just wandering around by myself. And I heard someone singing. Slightly off-key, but… He actually has a decent voice, but I don’t think his voice was meant for the song he was singing.”

Elijah couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Yeah. He has a decent voice, but does like to sing songs that… you would never guess that from.”

“Anyway… I was curious, so I let myself into the cabin. And he was there, painting. We got to talking about his art and… I don’t even remember what else. I also don’t even remember what led to him kissing me.”

Elijah clenched his hands around the steering wheel, and could feel his jaw clenching, as well. He really didn’t want to hear this. And yet, he also didn’t have the right to stop her. He had all but forced her into his car, and to talk to him. About how she had gotten pregnant. Well, being forced to listen to her answer about that question was his punishment for that.

“But, one thing led to another, and… And that was the first time. But, it wasn’t the last. We would sneak off together a lot, after that. Go on hikes, swimming in the lake, just not going with to some of the other activities. And, somehow, almost every time we got any time alone together, we ended up naked. The last time was the night before camp ended. Judging from timing, I’m guessing that was actually when it happened.” She gave a humorless laugh. “Spent all damn summer screwing around with no consequences, and got pregnant the last time. Had I ovulated a day later, or if camp had ended a day earlier, I wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Elijah nodded. “Do you… I mean… are you in love with him?”

“No. It was just sex. Obviously really good sex, or I wouldn’t have kept going back for more. But, it was never anything more than that. For either of us.”

Okay, that might have been more information than he really wanted. Then again, most of this conversation was more information than he wanted. And there was a part of him, a really stupid part that needed to shut the fuck up, that was saying that at least her heart wasn’t taken. That maybe he still had a chance with her. Right. Like that wouldn’t be weird as hell for her. He had lost any chance he might have had with Hayley back before he even met her.

“So, now I get to try to figure out how to tell him that he’s going to be a father. Which would be hard enough if we were dating. But, under the circumstances, I really have no idea how to do this.”

“Well, the first step in that is deciding if talking to him about it is even something you’re sure you want to do.”

“I’m going to have to tell him, sometime. I can only hide it for so long.” By that time, they were sitting in her driveway, and he couldn’t help looking over at her. Her eyes were closed and she was leaning back, resting her head against the back of the seat. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, Elijah. I’m fifteen. I should be worrying about the stupid paper I’m writing for English, and what the odds are of the boy I like asking me to Homecoming, and passing Driver’s Ed. I shouldn’t be worrying about morning sickness, and stretch marks, and labor pains. Shit! Driver’s Ed! I’m going to give birth before I get my driver’s license! How am I supposed to take the baby to the doctor if I can’t drive?”

Okay, that was one heck of a leap. He understood where she was coming from, but still. That was currently the least of her problems. She had months before she needed to worry about it. “Slow down, Hayley. One thing at a time. Honestly, the first thing you need to figure out is if… well, if morning sickness, stretch marks, and labor pains are even actually going to be a thing.”

She opened her eyes at that. “Which pretty much brings us back to me needing to talk to Klaus. He deserves to be a part of this.”

Elijah shook his head. “Not for the first step. The first decision you need to make is yours, and yours alone. Obviously, if you stay pregnant, he’s going to need to be involved in things after that. But, whether or not to even have the baby is something only you can decide. Not even Niklaus needs to have a vote in that.”

“Great! Because being alone doesn’t make the whole situation that much more terrifying, right?”

“I never said that you were alone, Hayley. I said that you have to make this decision alone. But, you still have friends. We’re still here. Whatever you decide to do, you won’t be alone. At the very least, you’ll always have me. I’ll help you, help take care of you, help take care of the baby if you end up keeping it. You have my word on that, Hayley.”

“You hardly know me, Elijah. And this isn’t your responsibility.”

“No, technically, it’s my brother’s responsibility. But, I have spent most of the past sixteen years cleaning up his messes. Though, I admit that as far as I know this is the first time he’s had a mess this big. But, since you’re his responsibility and he’s basically my responsibility… well… do the math.”

She smiled at that. “Yeah, well… truth? I’ve actually already decided. At least what I want. I… when we were out on Saturday, I bought a cute undated planner to use as a pregnancy calendar. Looking at dresses for homecoming, I seriously had to wonder if it was a good idea, because what if it didn’t fit? Eve had to drag me away from The Children’s Place to keep Cami and Aiden from wondering what I found so fascinating about kid’s clothes. It’s stupid. I just rattled off a whole list of reasons why having this baby isn’t a good idea. But… I want it. But, do I really have the right to force Klaus into fatherhood without even consulting him?”

“You aren’t forcing him into fatherhood, Hayley. He made his choice when he slept with you. He should have been more careful. But, he was stupid, and irresponsible, and reckless. And there are consequences to that.”

Hayley glared at him, and he wondered what he did wrong. “Don’t, Elijah. Don’t pin this all on him. It isn’t fair to him. And it isn’t fair to me. Every single thing you said about Klaus applies just as much to me as it does to him.”

“How is it not fair to you?” Okay, stupid thing to focus on, but that was probably the source of her anger towards him, so it made sense to deal with that part, first.

“Because, by putting the blame solely on Klaus, you take away my agency. You cast me in the role of a helpless damsel in distress who has no control over my own life. This isn’t all on Klaus. He didn’t rape me, Elijah.” He started at that, his guilt at his initial reaction hitting him. But, Hayley was luckily too busy ranting at him to actually notice him. “I was there, too. I could have said no, and he would have stopped. There were times when I wasn’t feeling it, and he _did_ stop when I told him to. This is just as much my doing as his. And to imply otherwise, is to say that I was somehow incapable of making my own choice in the matter. Whether that’s by implying that he didn’t give me a choice, or that I just lacked the mental faculties, or emotional maturity, to make the choice. So, by saying that this is all Klaus’s fault, you’re either calling him a rapist, or me an empty-headed twit who just doesn’t know how to say no. And neither of those things are true. I’m not that innocent, Elijah. Klaus wasn’t even my first. I may not know how it happened, the first time. But I do know one thing. He asked me if I was sure, and I said yes. And I knew exactly what I was doing every other time I chose to be alone with him. This is just as much on me as it is on him. So, just don’t.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you… somehow didn’t have a choice in the matter. But, you’ll have to forgive me for being angry with him, right now. And yes, what I’m about to say applies just as much to you as it does to him, but, I’m going to say it, anyway. He should have been more careful. I’m not saying he shouldn’t have slept with you. Because, you’re right. That is a decision that both of you made together, and the only person who has a right to an opinion on that is you. But, he should have been more careful about it.”

“If he should have been more careful, then so should I. You’re right about that part. Anything you have to say about him in this situation applies to me, too. But, for the record, we _were_ careful. We never even suspected a problem. We just learned the hard way that condoms don’t always work. But, we _were_ careful. I’m not stupid. And neither is he. So, cut him some slack, okay?”

He could only nod at her, not really knowing what else to say. Luckily, he was spared having to say anything by Hayley’s next outburst.

“I don’t know how to tell anyone about this. I’m going to be branded the school slut.”

He couldn’t help laughing at that. “Believe me, Hayley. You won’t be. I promise you that that title has already been claimed. And with pride.” She gave him a questioning look, but he just shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not the kind to spread rumors. Or to slut-shame a girl for enjoying sex and not much caring to have it all tangled up with an emotional involvement.”

He realized his mistake a second too late. There was a flash of pain in her eyes, and then she turned away. One hand reaching for the door handle, the other for her seatbelt. “Right. Well… I should go.”

Elijah sighed and reached out to take her hand. “Hayley, wait. I didn’t mean you. I mean… I’m making a mess of this. Obviously, that includes you. But that’s not what I meant. Please don’t go. I know that came out wrong, and I’m sorry. But, please. Stay. Talk to me.”

She closed her eyes and then let go of the door handle. The hand on the buckle of her seatbelt loosened, and Elijah lifted his own hand, letting her go. “Honestly, the hardest part, other than my aunt and uncle, is going to be Cami and Caroline.” His confusion must have shown on his face because she laughed. “Oh my God! You didn’t know? They both like Klaus. I’m dreading how they’re going to react to finding out that I’ve slept with him. Not just slept with him, but I’m having his baby. They’re going to hate me.”

“They won’t hate you. First of all, nobody would understand the attraction better than someone who shares it.” She rolled her eyes at him, but he ignored her and kept going. “Second of all, this happened before you met them. You didn’t go and sleep with your friends’ crush. They’re not going to hate you for something that happened over the summer. Have more faith in your friends, okay? They’re both sweet girls. Okay, Caroline can be a bit much, sometimes. But, she is fiercely devoted to her friends, and that includes you. Honestly, I’m looking forward to the betting pool about how extravagant your baby shower ends up being. Because, trust me. That girl lives for a good party. And since none of us are getting married anytime soon, this is going to be the biggest thing she’s going to get to plan for a very long time. It will be the event of the decade.”

Hayley giggled, and Elijah had to smile. He loved the sound of her laugh, the way her eyes lit up. “I hope you’re right. Well… about them being okay with this. Kind of dreading trying to get Caroline to  _not_ turn my baby shower into the event of the decade.” She sighed. “But, I really should get going. I have homework to do. And I still need to figure out what to say to Klaus.”

Elijah’s response was to get out of the car and walk around to the passenger side to open the door for her. He laughed when she rolled her eyes at him. “I told you before, I’m a gentleman.”

“We aren’t on a date, Elijah.”

No, but maybe someday soon they would be. Except, no. She was pregnant with his brother’s baby. Even if she didn’t like Niklaus like that, that didn’t mean she liked  _him_ like that, either. He found himself wondering who the lucky boy Hayley wanted to ask her to Homecoming was. Not that he had any intention of asking her. He walked her to the door, but stopped her from opening it. “It’s going to be okay, Hayley. I promise. I can’t make promises about how involved Niklaus will actually be in raising the child, but I promise that he will not be allowed to shirk his financial responsibilities. I’ll see to that, at least.”

She rolled her eyes at him, again. He was getting rather tired of that response, to be honest. “You going to drag him out job hunting? Somehow make him do well in the interviews when you can’t be there, watching him?”

“No. I’m going to drag him to our father’s lawyer.” At her confused frown, he laughed. “We have trust funds. Providing for a child is one of the contingencies we are allowed to withdraw from them early for. He _will_ take care of that part, regardless of what else he does. I promise.”

And then he did what he’d been wanting to do all damn day. He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I promise you that this is going to be okay. Niklaus will at least provide for the child. And even if he ends up not being very involved, you still have the rest of us. You will not be doing this alone.” He pulled away and kissed her forehead. “But, I should go before my dear younger siblings have time to wonder what is taking so long. I’ll see you, tomorrow.”

After making sure she got into the house okay, he turned and walked back to his car. He really hoped she told Niklaus soon. Not for his brother’s sake, or even for hers if he was being honest. But because he really wanted to smack that boy upside the head a few times, and it would hardly be fair if he didn’t know why he was being smacked.

**~High School Confidential~**

“Geez, Elijah. Where did you bring her, Baton Rouge?”

Elijah rolled his eyes. “Shut it, Rebekah. I just drove her home. That’s all.” He really was not in the mood for his little sister and her insinuations.

“Right. Which somehow managed to take you an hour? You obviously did more than just drive her home.” She got a glint in her eyes that he recognized all too well. “I bet you were making out.”

“We weren’t making out! For Christ’s sake, just stop!”

But, she wasn’t listening to him. She had latched onto her theory and was like a dog with a bone. And then her voice took on a sing-song quality. “Elijah and Hayley, sitting in a tree.”

“That’s enough, Rebekah.”

She ignored him, continuing to chant. “K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Hayley with a—”

“I said that’s enough!” _That_ finally got her attention, and got her to shut up. Then again, he wasn’t his father. He rarely yelled. And for one minute, he had sounded like Mikael. But, at that moment he didn’t even care. The last thing he wanted was to listen to his sister finish that song. Because Hayley _was_ going to be pushing a baby carriage, soon. But, it wasn’t Elijah’s baby. “Hayley and I are just friends. That is all we ever were, and it is all we ever will be. As for what took so long driving her home… Not that it’s any of your damn business, but we were talking. I would ask you if you know what talking is, but you obviously do. Because you never shut the Hell up.”

He ignored the hurt look on her face, and the shocked looks on Kol’s and Niklaus’s faces, and stormed up to his room, slamming the door behind him. When he didn’t go down for dinner, it was Rebekah that brought him a plate, which made him feel guilty for the way he snapped at her, earlier.

“I’m sorry for teasing you, before, Elijah. I just… I see the way you look at her. I can tell that you like her. I don’t know what’s going on, what has you so mad at me, or if it’s even me you’re really mad at. But… if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here. I know you think I’m just a kid, but… I _am_ a girl, if you want some female perspective on whatever is going on between you two. Just don’t stay mad at me. Please? It was all in good fun. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I know, Beks. I just have a lot on my mind, right now. I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have snapped like that. I just… I need the teasing to stop. I need the insinuations to stop. Hayley also has a lot on her mind, and she doesn’t need the gossip and the rumor mill, right now.”

Rebekah gave him a thoughtful look. “Is that what you were talking about for so long? Whatever is bothering her?” Perceptive as always.

“Yes. And it’s not my place to talk about it. But, don’t go asking her, either. She’ll talk about it when she’s ready. She never even meant to talk to me about it. It just slipped out. But, once it did, I couldn’t just ignore it.”

“Is she going to be okay? How bad is this, Elijah?”

Elijah smiled at her. “She’s going to be fine. She just needs some time to deal with this on her own. And to not have everyone else adding more stress by constantly teasing her about something that… isn’t even true. We really are just friends. And, that really is all we’re ever going to be. Leave her alone about me, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.” Not that she looked entirely convinced. But, regardless of how she actually felt about this, she had given her word. He couldn’t do much to rein in Caroline, but he had at least gotten Rebekah off of Hayley’s back. It was a start.

Rebekah went back downstairs, then. And Elijah ate his dinner alone in silence. Things might be better between him and Rebekah, but he still wasn’t ready to face Niklaus. He wasn’t sure he could look at his brother and not see… something he really didn’t want to think about.

**~High School Confidential~**

It was a couple hours later when the choice was taken away from him. There was a knock on his door, followed by his brother’s voice. “Elijah? Can I come in? I… I really need to talk to you about something…”

Elijah froze. There was something to Niklaus’s tone of voice. He knew exactly what his brother wanted to talk to him about. She had told him. He swallowed hard. “Yeah, come on in, Niklaus.”

Niklaus opened the door and come in, then closed and locked it behind him. Yes, this was definitely about Hayley. That was quite obvious. But, he didn’t say anything, just started pacing around the room.

Eventually, Elijah couldn’t handle the suspense any longer. “I thought you said you wanted to talk. This is not talking.”

“Right. Talk. I… Well, you know that Hayley and I actually met in summer camp, right?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Well, we… umm… actually knew each other quite well in summer camp. Well enough that… Actually, it might be easier if I show you.” And he handed Elijah his phone, showing a text message. That was, of course, from Hayley.

It was a picture. Of a pregnancy test, showing two pink lines, and captioned “we need to talk.” Not the most tactful way to do this, but it was hardly Elijah’s place to judge.

He looked up from the phone. “I’m guessing from the fact that she sent this to you that it’s yours?”

“It looks that way, yeah. Or at least that seems to be what she’s saying. What am I going to do, Elijah?”

“Well, for starters, you’re going to go for a drive with me so that we can talk without one of our younger siblings wandering in here. You may have locked the door, but if you think that will stop Kol… I don’t know what rock you’ve been living under for most of the past fifteen years.” That actually earned him a laugh.

“Yeah. Let’s get out of here. I’ll meet you downstairs.” He unlocked and opened the door and walked out of the room.

Elijah grabbed his keys and his wallet and followed him. They, surprisingly enough, managed to actually get out of the house without anybody asking them where they were going, or trying to come with.

“Where are we going, anyway?”

“Somewhere where we probably won’t run into anybody else and can have this conversation without worrying about being overheard.”

The rest of the car ride passed in silence.

**~High School Confidential~**

Elijah pulled into the school parking lot and turned the car off. Then he reached over and smacked his brother upside the head.

“Ouch! What the hell, Elijah?!”

“What the hell were you thinking? How could you be so stupid and irresponsible? How did this happen?”

Niklaus smirked at him, an expression that did not bode well for the idiot’s future well-being. “Oh, so I get to give you the birds and the bees talk, now? This is an interesting turn of events. Well, you see, Elijah. When a boy and girl find each other attractive and get a bit too bored, sometimes they decide to relieve that boredom by getting naked and—”

Elijah raised his hand. “Do you want another smack upside the head?”

“Not particularly, no.”

“Then stop being… you, and be serious for five minutes. How could you let this happen, Niklaus?”

“Don’t, Elijah. Don’t act like this is all my fault. Or are you going to smack Hayley the next time you see her, too? Because, in case you weren’t aware, it takes two. I didn’t rape her, Elijah.” Elijah really wished they would both stop pointing that out. It made him feel extremely guilty. “She was a very willing, even enthusiastic, participant. Every damn time. This isn’t all on me.”

All of which Hayley had also said. But, the fact that he had already had pretty much this exact conversation with her a few hours ago didn’t mean he wasn’t going to yell at his brother about it, now. “You should have been more careful.”

“We _were_ careful! We were always careful! My God! Do you really think I would be that stupid? That either of us would be so stupid as to have sex with someone we hardly knew without using protection? I don’t have a damn death wish, Elijah! So, before you start trying to lecture me, don’t forget that you aren’t exactly heading for the priesthood, yourself. This could just as easily have happened to you.”

“With one major difference.” At his brother’s questioning look, Elijah scoffed. “I watched you give her your phone number the second day of school. If she didn’t end up going to the same school as us this year, she would be going through this, alone. She would have had your baby, without you even _knowing_ about it. Think about that for a minute, Niklaus. Think about how close you came to having a child out there that you would never know.”

“Again, that is not all on me. She never gave me her phone number or asked for mine at camp, either. She fully intended us to go our separate ways and never see or talk to each other again. It was supposed to be a damn summer fling. It didn’t mean anything. It was boredom, and stress relief, and having a bit of fun. And people do it all the time. The fact that this time there were consequences is on both of us, not just me. And, while we’re on the subject, for all we know, it isn’t even mine! I mean, it’s not like we were together every minute at camp. For all you or I know, there were more boys that she was fooling around with, and she’s latched onto the idea of it being mine because I happen to be around, now. Or because we have money. Not that I would blame her for wanting to provide for her child the best way she can think of how.”

“Really, Niklaus? That’s the direction you want to go with this? It might not even be yours? That she’s just trying to pin it on you because she’s after your money?” Which might have made sense if Elijah hadn’t been the one to point out that it wasn’t just their parents who had money and that Niklaus had a trust fund he could tap to help take care of the baby. But, he couldn’t mention that, because he didn’t want his brother to know that Hayley had already told him all of this.

“I don’t know. It makes as much sense as it being mine does. Because, seriously. We were careful. I honestly don’t see how this could have happened.”

Elijah rolled his eyes. “Condoms can fail, Niklaus. Hell! Katherine and Elena are both living proof that nothing is 100% effective. So, it’s not like we somehow didn’t know this. Accidents happen. Now, the question is what the Hell you’re going to do about it.” Not that the idiot was actually going to be given much choice. What Elijah had said to Hayley was true. Niklaus might choose not to be much of a father, but he  _would_ at least take financial responsibility. Elijah would see to that.

“I guess that’s going to depend on her, isn’t it? How can I possibly know what I’m going to do if I don’t know if she even plans on keeping it? I need to talk to her. Find out for sure if it’s even mine. Find out what she wants from me if it is. And decide from there.”

Elijah wasn’t sure he liked the “decide from there” line. But, it was a start, at least. “What’s to decide? You were right the first time. It depends on her.”

Niklaus scoffed. “Right. Like this kid would want me as a father. I haven’t exactly had the best role model, have I?”

Elijah gave him a soft smile at that. “No, we haven’t. I guess now all I can do is hope that you’ve learned from his mistakes.”

“Or maybe what I’ve learned is that being a Mikaelson is not something anybody would choose, and that I would be doing the kid a favor by keeping them well out of the freak show we call a family.”

Elijah shook his head and started the car. “You need to talk to Hayley. This is something you really can’t decide by yourself.”

“Yeah. I might need your help with that.”

The rest of the ride home was spent discussing how to get Hayley and Niklaus alone so they could talk face to face. Because, for all that Hayley had initially told him in a text message, this really wasn’t something they could do over the phone.

But, Elijah’s mind was only half on their conversation. The rest was replaying something else Niklaus had said. That this could just as easily have been him. He found himself wondering if Katherine would have even told him if she found herself in that predicament, or if she would have just gotten rid of it on her own. He was enough of a feminist to still believe that that was her right. But, that didn’t make the thought any more appealing.

He also thought of Hayley’s reaction to him being mad at Niklaus about it. Her anger at him blaming his brother while ignoring her own part in this. “I’m not that innocent.” No, and neither was he. Eventually, when he had calmed down a bit more, he owed his brother an apology. But, not tonight. He was through talking about this, tonight.

**~High School Confidential~**

By the time Hayley got to school Tuesday morning, she was pissed. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting from Klaus, but some kind of acknowledgment would have been nice. And what had happened to Elijah’s lofty promises of making his brother help her? Apparently, he couldn’t even make the bastard  _talk_ to her. How did he propose to make him do anything else?

She wasn’t surprised that Klaus wasn’t around when she got to the school. Probably avoiding her. After all, while he couldn’t avoid her in History class, she also could hardly make him talk about their situation then. She was going to murder him.

“Well, I’m going to head in. I want to go over some of my homework one last time, and pretty much my only chance is before homeroom. I know it’s early, but… did you want to walk with me?” The look Elijah gave her hinted at there being more to his request than simply wanting to walk her to class.

Hayley shrugged. “Yeah. My French homework could probably use a once-over, too. Might as well do that now.” It was the flimsiest excuse in the book. On both their parts. And she knew that they were just adding fuel to the rumor mill fire. But, she suddenly realized what he was probably actually up to.

In fact, she wasn’t at all surprised when they got to their lockers, and he gestured towards his own homeroom class. “He’s in there.”

Hayley nodded, and swallowed hard. For all that she had been pissed at Klaus for not getting back to her, now that she was faced with actually talking to him about this, she wasn’t really sure how to. But, she straightened her back and walked into the room.

“Hello love. I guess we have a lot to talk about.”

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  



	8. Suddenly My World Has Changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus hears Hayley's news and goes to Elijah for advice. Talking to Hayley causes him to make the exact opposite choice from what he expected to make. And they both open up to each other about their family histories while trying to figure out what they're going to do about their impending parenthood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from Out Of The Blue by Debbie Gibson

“I said that’s enough!” At Elijah’s outburst, Klaus turned to stare at him. In truth, he hadn’t really been paying any attention to his siblings until that point. But, Elijah sounding for all the world like Mikael was enough to get anybody’s attention. “Hayley and I are just friends. That is all we ever were, and it is all we ever will be. As for what took so long driving her home… Not that it’s any of your damn business, but we were talking. I would ask if you know what talking is, but obviously do. Because you never shut the Hell up.”

And with that, Elijah turned and stormed out of the room. A minute later, there was the sound of a door slamming coming from upstairs.

Klaus looked at Kol and Rebekah. His poor sister looked ready to cry. Not that he blamed her. Elijah yelling was a rare occurrence. Him yelling at Rebekah was almost unheard of. Usually it was Klaus or Kol managing to push one of his few buttons. “What the fuck was that about?”

Rebekah sniffled. “I… I was teasing him a bit. It was all in good fun. I mean, everybody can tell that him and Hayley like each other. If they would just get their damn heads out of their asses and admit it. And he got mad at me, for some reason.”

“Well, he did tell you to stop. And you were laying it on pretty thick. Maybe you hit a nerve.”

Klaus sighed. “Right then. I have homework to do. Call me when dinner is ready.” He went up to the room he shared with Kol and started fighting with his stupid Physics homework.

Elijah didn’t come down for dinner. Whatever had him so upset was apparently worse than the others realized. Klaus knew he should probably see if his brother would talk to him. Out of all of them, he was usually the best at getting Elijah to let his guard down and open up.

Except, Rebekah jumped at the opportunity to go try to fix things and brought a plate upstairs to Elijah. When she came back down, Klaus and Kol both pounced on her. “Is everything okay? Did he say what that was really all about? Is he still mad at you?” The questions were so rapid-fire that even Klaus couldn’t keep track of who had asked what.

“We’re okay. He just has a lot on his mind, right now. And, apparently, so does Hayley. He told me that he needs the teasing and insinuations to stop because she has enough to deal with without the gossip and rumor mill adding to her stress. And, whatever that was about, is not his place to talk about, but I’m under orders not to ask her.”

“So, our brother has a lot on his mind, but we can’t ask him about it, because not all of it is about him. And we can’t ask the person it’s actually about, because that would just stress her out more. Wonderful. Did he give any kind of clue?”

Rebekah shook her head. “No. Just that whatever it is, she didn’t even mean to talk to him about. It just slipped out, and then he couldn’t ignore it. And she needs some time to deal with this on her own. But, she’ll be okay.”

Well, if that wasn’t cryptic as Hell. But, after that, Klaus was hardly going to start trying to get Elijah to talk. He’d probably just get yelled at. So, he ate his dinner, grateful for Henrik’s chatter that managed to actually distract Mikael and put him the closest thing to a good mood that he was capable of. And then he went back upstairs, and pulled out his sketch pad.

**~High School Confidential~**

Until his phone beeped with a notification of a text message. From Hayley? What in the world was Hayley Marshall texting him about? They didn’t have any homework in the only class they had together, so she couldn’t be texting about that. And as for anything else, while she hadn’t complained about him getting her phone number when all the others did, she kept making it clear that they were not friends. The girl hated him, for some reason.

Then again, rumor had it that there was something going on between Hayley and Elijah. Or, at least that they both wished there was something going on and were both too stubborn to admit it. He was willing to bet that she was worried about what Elijah would think of her if exactly how she and Klaus had spent their summer vacation got out. Not that he was talking, either. He fully admitted that he could be an ass, but he wasn’t the type to spread rumors.

And then he opened his text. And stared at his phone. So much for keeping their fling a secret. He sat down on the edge of his bed. Shit! This could not be happening. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He needed to do something. Call her. Text her back. Something. But, all he could do was stare at the picture she sent him in absolute terror. He didn’t know how to be a father. He had the two worst role models in the world. Assuming you could even call Ansel a role model for fatherhood, all things considered.

It wasn’t fair. Not that he, of all people, expected life to be fair. But, while he never expected anything about his own life to be fair, Hayley and the baby deserved better than anything he could possibly give them. Honestly, the best thing for everybody would be for her to get an abortion. She wouldn’t be stuck dealing with him for the next eighteen years. He wouldn’t have to worry about turning into his stepfather. And, in all honesty, maybe even the baby would be better off dead than stuck with him as a father — stuck in this dysfunctional mess that the Mikaelsons called a family.

He couldn’t deal with this alone. And he wasn’t ready to talk to her. So, he went to the one person he could trust. The closest thing he had to a real father. Ironic that a boy only fourteen months older than him was more of a father to him than either of the men who actually had that title. He crossed the hall and knocked on Elijah’s door. “Elijah? Can I come in? I… I really need to talk to you about something.”

When Elijah told him to come in, he went inside and closed and locked the door behind him. But, he couldn’t bring himself to talk about why he was there. He couldn’t bear the thought of looking in his brother’s eyes and seeing disappointment — or worse. And so, he just paced around the room, trying to get up the courage to tell Elijah just how badly he had fucked up. And that this time, he wasn’t the only one that would be paying for it.

“I thought you said you wanted to talk. This is not talking.”

What Klaus stammered out was such an incoherent mess that even he couldn’t actually follow it. Though, if anyone could, it would be Elijah. The one person that knew him probably better than he knew himself. Finally he gave up and just handed him his phone.

“I’m guessing from the fact that she sent this to you that it’s yours?” If Elijah was disappointed in him, or angry, or any of the reactions Klaus had been expecting, he hid it well. Then again, that was Elijah. Calm, stoic Elijah.

“It looks that way, yeah. Or at least that seems to be what she’s saying. What am I going to do, Elijah?”

Klaus had to laugh when Elijah pointed out that a locked door wouldn’t stop Kol if he got it in his head to come see what his older brothers were up to. So, he agreed to go for a drive. They were already in the car before it occurred to him that maybe being alone with Elijah wasn’t the smartest idea, right now.

**~High School Confidential~**

A concern that proved to not be unfounded when the first thing Elijah did after turning the car off in the school parking lot was reach over and smack Klaus upside the head.

“Ouch! What the hell, Elijah?!” Granted, he actually deserved it, but he didn’t think Elijah had ever hit him. At least not once he had outgrown toddler temper tantrums.

“What the hell were you thinking? How could you be so stupid and irresponsible? How did this happen?”

Klaus couldn’t help smirking at him. Oh, he was about to get himself into trouble, but he couldn’t resist. Chalk it up to trying to defuse the situation. Or perhaps to an utter lack of a sense of self-preservation at the moment. It didn’t surprise him at all when his attempt at humor caused his brother to threaten to smack him, again. He absolutely deserved that one.

But, that didn’t mean he was going to just sit there and take it when it sounded like Elijah was putting the blame one hundred percent in his lap. Maybe asking Elijah if he planned on smacking Hayley too was a low blow. Because of course he wouldn’t. Smacking the brother who could actually kick his ass if he wanted to was one thing. Elijah was definitely not the type to hit a girl.

Except, that wasn’t the line that earned him a reaction. It was when he pointed out that he didn’t rape Hayley that Elijah flinched. Did he really think… No. He wasn’t going to think about that. So, instead he just went on. Though, considering the possibility that Elijah liked Hayley himself, perhaps the line “she was a very willing, even enthusiastic, participant” was even crueler than confronting him about his reaction to Klaus pointing out that it wasn’t rape would have been. Though, at the moment, he wasn’t sure he cared.

True, he had expected disappointment, and even anger. But, now that he was actually faced with it, it still hurt. It was stupid, but he couldn’t help it. Especially considering that Elijah was far from being a virgin, himself. So really, he had no right to talk. This could have been him and Katherine. Or him and Celeste. And Klaus highly doubted they were the only two his brother had ever been with. “Don’t forget that you aren’t exactly heading for the priesthood, yourself. This could just as easily have happened to you.”

Which, of course, led to Elijah pointing out the major difference. That had Hayley not ended up going to their school, Klaus never would have known about the baby, at all. But, again, that wasn’t all on him. And he was getting tired of Elijah acting like he had somehow gotten Hayley pregnant all on his own without any help from her. And so, he lashed out with the one thing that could make this better, for everyone — the idea that maybe it wasn’t his. He wasn’t sure he really believed that. No, they weren’t together every minute. She could have been with other boys. But, she didn’t actually seem like the type to lie. Deep down, he knew that if she said it was his, it was. But, he was grasping at straws, looking for a way for all of them to get out of this mess.

Not that Elijah was buying it. In fact that seemed to anger him even more. Until Klaus pointed out that the baby probably wouldn’t want him as a father, anyway. But, even though he seemed to understand Klaus’s fears, he still wasn’t letting him off the hook. And he eventually got Klaus to agree to talk to Hayley and find out what she wanted to do.

As Elijah drove home, they made a plan to get Klaus and Hayley alone to talk without any of their friends wondering what was going on. Obviously, if Hayley stayed pregnant, eventually they would have to tell everyone. But, that was something they would figure out, later. First they needed to figure out what they were going to do.

Elijah pulled into his parking spot in the garage and turned the car off. But, Klaus stopped him from getting out of the car. “If I have to choose between my role models, wouldn’t it be better for me to be like Ansel, than like Mikael? I can at least hope that they get a better stepfather than I did, someone who would love them. I don’t know how to be a father, Elijah.”

“You won’t be doing this alone, Niklaus. And the fact that you’re worried about turning into my father is a good sign. Besides, you have an advantage there that none of the rest of us have. You aren’t really his. So, odds are you haven’t inherited his temper. Maybe you’re right. Maybe nobody would want to be a Mikaelson if they had a choice. But, look at the other side. This baby may not be getting great grandparents, and yeah… the idea of you being a father is weird as hell. But, they’re also getting a gaggle of aunts and uncles who will adore them. It’s going to be okay. We’ll all be there for you. It’s going to be okay.”

Klaus just nodded and got out of the car and went up to his room. It was as he lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling that something occurred to him. The one reaction that Elijah didn’t have. Surprise. And then he thought of what Rebekah had said about what was bothering Elijah. Something Hayley hadn’t meant to tell him, that just slipped out. He actually chuckled when he wondered just how long Elijah had been waiting to smack him upside the head. No, he wasn’t going to be mad at Hayley for telling his brother before she told him. At least he knew that she wouldn’t be upset about Elijah knowing.

**~High School Confidential~**

He sat cooling his heels in his History classroom, which also happened to be Elijah’s homeroom. He honestly wasn’t sure what to say to Hayley, or how he could possibly make this right. But, he needed to try, somehow. If only to keep Elijah off his back.

When she walked into the room, her back was straight, and there was a determined look on her face. But, there was something else, too. Fear and worry in her eyes that matched his own feelings on the subject. Part of him wanted to just take her into his arms and tell her that it was going to be okay. Though, she’d probably punch him if he tried. Even though there was nothing romantic or sexual about it. The rest of him, though, didn’t really believe that it was going to be okay. He still wasn’t convinced that there was any real solution except an abortion.

But, he had a feeling that if he suggested that, and Elijah heard about it, his brother would murder him. Nobody would force Hayley into going through with this pregnancy if she didn’t want to. But, he had no illusions that he would actually have a vote in that, one way or the other.

“Hello love. I guess we have a lot to talk about.”

“Yeah. I guess we do. I’m sorry for how I told you. That was pretty childish.” She gave a rueful laugh. “And I guess we both really need to grow the fuck up, don’t we?”

He shrugged. “It might not have been the most mature way to tell me, but it gave me a chance to process it and talk to Elijah before I had to figure out what to say to you. Honestly, had you called me or cornered me at school, my response probably would have been to tell you that it’s not my problem and to deal with it.”

“Real nice, Klaus.”

“I have never claimed not to be an asshole, Hayley. We don’t have time for me to get into all the reasons for it. But, I’m trying, here. So, I guess my first question is… are you absolutely sure that it’s mine?”

She glared at him. “Yeah. I’m sure. Believe me, Klaus. I would honestly almost rather do this alone than tie myself to you for the next eighteen years. I wouldn’t lie about this.” She was talking about tying herself to him for eighteen years. It sounded like she had made her choice, and it was the one he least wanted, right now.

“So, why are you? Why not lie to me and say it’s not mine? After all, we were always careful. It would be easy enough for you to claim that there had been someone who _wasn’t_ careful, and you were pretty sure it was his.”

“Because I grew up without a family. I grew up not knowing who my parents were, or if they had ever loved me. And I want something better than that for my baby. As much as I really don’t want anything to do with you, myself, I… I want them to know you. And I hope… I hope that they won’t have to wonder the way I did. I know that we’re just kids. And we can’t stand each other. And this situation is kind of horrible. But, I hope that…” Her eyes had gotten suspiciously bright pretty early in that little speech. And by the end, she lost the fight. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to get out her hopes for her child. Their child.

And he knew exactly what those hopes were. And in that moment, he made his own choice. The exact opposite of the choice he had thought he had already made. No, he hadn’t had great role models. And the thought of being a father still terrified him for so many reasons. But, while a part of him was still afraid of turning into Mikael, he couldn’t bring himself to be like Ansel. He couldn’t walk away from this. His child would have the one thing that neither of its parents had. It would know that it was loved.

“Come here, love.” He walked over and pulled her into his arms. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out. Together. It’s going to be okay.”

Elijah poked his head in, then. “Nobody is on this floor yet, but I can hear them on the stairs.”

Klaus nodded and pulled away from Hayley. “Go on, then. Go fix your make-up. I know that you have Cami and Aiden in your homeroom. You don’t want them to know you were crying, and asking you about it. We’ll talk more after school.”

Hayley nodded and walked out of the room, leaving Klaus alone with his older brother.

“Are you guys okay?”

“Okay is a relative term, Elijah. She’s having a baby at fifteen with a guy she can’t stand. No. She’s not okay. But, we’ll figure it out. We’re as okay as we can be under the circumstances.” He shrugged. “But, for now, I need to get to class. I’ll see you later.”

**~High School Confidential~**

History class was spend with Klaus and Hayley doing what they did best - ignoring each other. After all, they really only had one thing worth talking about, and that was something they could hardly talk about in school, where anybody could hear them.

During his last class, he texted Hayley to get her address and find out if it would be safe for them to talk there. Otherwise, he would pick her up and they could go for a drive, somewhere. But, no. Her aunt and uncle would both be at work. Which made things easier.

Eve dragged Hayley off to help her make dinner fairly early after school. Klaus waited a few minutes so that it wouldn’t look like he was trying to follow them and then told Kol and Rebekah that anybody riding with him should head to his car. It didn’t really surprise him when Kol was the only one to take him up on it. Rebekah’s favorite pastime was annoying Elijah. And apparently his outburst the day before had not changed that.

“I’m actually just going to drop you off. I have an English paper due next week, and it’s a lot easier to concentrate in the library than at home.”

Kol raised an eyebrow at that. “Klaus Mikaelson, going to a library to study? What has the world come to?”

“It’s Junior year. I should probably start actually thinking of my future. And you know the terms of our trust funds. I need to go to college if I don’t want to live with your father until I’m twenty-five. Which means that I should probably start working on actually getting into college.” Besides, he had a baby to take care of. Granted, he could tap his trust fund for that, it was one of very few contingencies that would override the usual terms. But, that would only provide for the baby. It still wouldn’t get him away from Mikael. And it wouldn’t get the baby away from Mikael. And it was very important to him that his stepfather spend as little time with his child as possible. Which meant that while the library was only an excuse, right now, he really did need to buckle down and get his ass in gear. He had been seriously considering going into the army, just to get out of the house without dealing with college. But, that was no longer an option.

Kol was chattering about something. And luckily, it didn’t seem to faze him that Klaus wasn’t really paying attention. When they pulled up to the house, he got out. “Have fun at the library, nerd.”

Klaus rolled his eyes. “If I didn’t hate every single thing about this damn paper, it would be easier to work on it at home.” As soon as the car door was closed, he put the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway, heading to Hayley’s.

**~High School Confidential~**

“You’re not going to get in trouble for me being up here, are you?”

“Under the circumstances, worst case scenario, I tell them exactly what we’re talking about. I’m going to have to, eventually, anyway.”

Klaus just nodded, and continued walking around Hayley’s room. The room was oddly sparsely decorated. A twin bed with a bookcase headboard, a dresser, and a desk and chair were the only furniture. Which meant that there were only so many places to walk to. Especially with him avoiding the bed, which was where she was sitting. Probably so that he could have the chair. If he would ever stop pacing and actually sit down.

He picked up a framed picture of her and Eve and looked at it, then set it down. It suddenly occurred to him that he had been in another room that was as sparsely decorated as this one a few times. When he had gone to Marcel’s to study, or to pick him up to hang out. This was the bedroom of a foster kid. Someone who had very little to actually call their own. Logically, he had always known that about her. But, with her living with her aunt and uncle it hadn’t really clicked that that was a new development.

“You’re acting like you’ve never been in a girl’s bedroom before.”

“Maybe I haven’t. For all you know, you were my first.”

She scoffed. “Somehow, I really doubt that.”

He couldn’t help turning around and smirking at her. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He laughed when she rolled her eyes. “No, this isn’t the first time I’ve ever been in a girl’s bedroom. Though, other than my sisters, this  _is_ the first time I’ve been in a girl’s bedroom to talk. I’ve never really paid much attention to what the rooms looked like. I was more interested in getting their occupants naked.” He turned back to her desk. 

“Now, that sounds more like the Klaus Mikaelson I know. But, will you please sit down? You’re making me nervous.”

He sighed and sat in her desk chair, then spun it around to face her. “I guess I should let you know exactly what you’re getting into with me and my family. And, the first thing you need to know is that the baby won’t actually be a Mikaelson. Because I’m not. I am the result of an affair my mother had. I don’t know how long they were sleeping together. It doesn’t matter. Elijah is Mikael’s. So is Kol. It’s just me that isn’t. But, whether that’s because the affair was short lived, or if my mother just got lucky except for me, I really don’t know. My father is a man named Ansel Hunt. I hardly even know who he is. I’ve tried finding him a few times, but… I don’t even know where to look. And when I try to ask my mother to help me, she tells me to just drop it, and that Mikael is the only father that matters. Which might be easier to take if Mikael didn’t hate me.”

“How did you find out?”

“You know… I don’t even remember. I think I overheard my parents arguing one time. But, there were always little things.” He closed his eyes. “It’s weird. It seems like Mikael may have always known. And yet… Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik exist. I will never understand why it was easier for him to forgive my mother for cheating on him than it is for him to forgive me for existing. Or maybe, he hasn’t actually forgiven her. Maybe he stayed married to her as a control thing. And because the alternative was to admit that there was a point in their marriage when he obviously wasn’t enough for her.” He finally opened his eyes, then. And found himself looking into Hayley’s eyes. He almost turned away, before he realized that it wasn’t pity he saw in her eyes, but rather sympathy. Even empathy. “So, that’s the family dynamic this child will be coming into. One grandfather it’ll never meet, and another one that will hate it for being my child.”

“And another one that died when its mother was a baby. Three grandfathers, instead of the usual two, and still worse off than most.”

“True. But, as Elijah pointed out, a whole gaggle of aunts and uncles that will adore it. My family is a dysfunctional mess, but my siblings are pretty wonderful in spite of it. I’d like to dump all three of my parents into the deepest ocean and pretend they don’t exist. But, you could do worse than my siblings as a family for your child.” He smiled. “I’m actually almost looking forward to telling Rebekah. She will be so excited. She loves babies.”

Hayley rewarded him with a smile. “Okay. My turn. Like I said, my parents died when I was a baby. And, I don’t really know what was going on with my family at the time. But, they didn’t know about my mom and me. And so, I ended up in foster care. At some point, fairly early on, I got my name changed. Maybe somebody was going to adopt me. I don’t know. But, if that’s the case, it didn’t work out. I went from foster home to foster home. Nobody really wanted me.”

“Not even as a baby?” He knew enough about how this all worked to know that usually babies were sought after. It was when the kids got older that finding homes for them got harder.

“It’s not like anybody told me what was going on when I was a baby. I don’t even know how my name got changed. But, a few months before the last school year ended, my uncle found me. He honestly never told me how, or what got him looking for me. But, he found me. And, as my only living relative, he was able to claim me. They had me finish the school year there, just so I wasn’t transferring with like three months to go. Picked me up on the last day of school.” She laughed. “I was here about half an hour, when they saw me looking at the brochure for summer camp. I guess I was looking pretty wistful, because they asked if I wanted to go. I felt bad, wanting to leave right after moving in, but when I told them I had never been to summer camp, because that was always an expense that my foster parents felt would be a waste on me, that was the end of that. You know the rest.”

“Yes. The rest is how we got here. You went to camp, and met me.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Hayley, I know that this is really none of my business. And feel free to tell me that. But, was I… I mean…”

She laughed. “My first? No. You weren’t. I was thirteen. I don’t even remember his name. I’ve spent the past two years using sex as a substitute for love. It’s probably a pretty poor substitute. Especially considering none of them meant anything to me. They were just random guys who were just interested in me for my body. And that was pretty much all I wanted from them, too. Our fling this summer was the closest thing I’ve ever had to a relationship. Which is pretty sad, really.” Her hands drifted to her stomach, and he wondered if she even realized she was doing it. “Quite the pair, aren’t we? Neither one of us has exactly had great role models in the parenting department. Maybe keeping this baby is a bad idea.”

“Well, another thing Elijah has pointed out is that while I haven’t had great role models, I have hopefully learned from their mistakes. Obviously, I’ve learned from Ansel’s mistake, since I’m here, having this conversation with you. And, if it even looks like I might turn out like Mikael, I’m sure that Elijah will kick my ass. I don’t know if I’m capable of being a _good_ father, but I can promise that I at least won’t be a _horrible_ one. Most first-time parents don’t know what the hell they’re doing. In that respect, we’re no different than anyone else. If you want this baby, Hayley, we will figure this out. And if you don’t, we have two options to discuss.”

It took a minute for him to understand what the look of terror on her face was about. Then it occurred to him. She had been passed from foster home to foster home since she was a baby. And her whole reason for even involving him was that she wanted better than that for her child. “It wouldn’t be like it was for you. We could do an open adoption, choose its parents, know it would be taken care of and loved. I think that part of your problem was you being an orphan, and nobody signing papers to give you away. They might not have been able to actually adopt you out, in case you had relatives come looking for you, later. Or at least, that’s my theory. I admit to knowing nothing about how this works. But, I do know that open adoptions are a thing, if that’s what you want to do.”

She shook her head. “If… if it’s okay with you… I want to keep it. I know that this is probably a bad idea. I know that we are probably going to mess this up. But… I want this baby. But, if you don’t, I get it. And I’m not going to force you into fatherhood. If you don’t want the baby, we’ll look into adoption.”

“No. If you want to keep it, then that’s what we’ll do. I already have a father out there that I will never know. I want better than that for my child. We’ll figure this out.” He sighed. “Okay, stupid question, but when can we find out if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“According to the websites I’ve found, that would be at the four-month ultrasound.”

“Four months? We have to refer to our child as ‘it’ for four months?”

Hayley giggled. “It could be worse. It was really not  _that_ long ago that there was no way to find out before the delivery room. I take it you don’t want to be surprised, then?”

“Oh Hell no, I don’t want to be surprised! As it is, I need to come up with a nickname. I am not going to refer to my child as ‘it’ for four goddamn months.” Then it occurred to him that this wasn’t entirely his decision and he sighed. “Did you want to be surprised?”

“No. Fuck that shit. We need to come up with a name, Caroline is going to want to throw me a baby shower. We’ll find out as soon as we’re able to.”

He couldn’t help being glad that they were in agreement on that. “Okay, next thing to figure out. Telling people. Obviously, Elijah knows. I’m assuming that Eve does as well. But, we need to figure out how to tell my parents, and your aunt and uncle. And our friends. And when to tell them.”

Hayley sighed heavily. “I’ll want you there when I tell my aunt and uncle, I think. It might be easier if I can show them that the two of us intend to be a united front and you aren’t abandoning me to deal with it on my own. As for friends, I think that should maybe wait a bit. I mean, if you want to tell Kol or Rebekah or your older siblings, that’s totally your choice. And I don’t really have an objection to Marcel, since I know he’s your best friend. But, I’m not ready for it to be public knowledge, just yet.”

“No. I have Elijah to talk to. That’s enough. But, I will absolutely be there when you tell your aunt and uncle. Though, I don’t want you there when I tell my parents. Let me deal with them. You and the baby don’t need that stress.” They still hadn’t really discussed when or how this was going to happen. But, since it was obvious that neither of them wanted that to be very soon, figuring out the rest could wait. “Well, I think we’ve figured out most of what can be figured out, today. I should probably go before the choice of when to tell your aunt and uncle gets taken away from us.” Granted, he hadn’t been there that long. He doubted that the Labonairs would be home all that soon. But, he and Hayley were still trying to find their footing. Things were weird, and awkward, and they had run out of things to talk about for the moment.

She actually looked relieved that he was leaving. “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She stood up. “I guess I should walk you out.”

“No need, love. I think I can find the door on my own. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He got as far as the foot of the stairs, when Eve called out to him from the kitchen. “Am I going to have to kick your ass?”

“If so, you would have to stand in line behind my brother. No, Hayley and I are fine. And the baby is going to be fine. We’ll figure this out.”

“Good. See you around, Klaus.”

Right then. He shook his head and walked outside.

**~High School Confidential~**

He didn’t go home, though. Instead, he headed to the library and actually did what he had told Kol he was doing. Worked on his damn English paper. Which was pretty much the last thing he wanted anything to do with, but he had lost much say in his own life when Hayley texted him last night.

After an hour or so of reading and taking notes, he gave up. Yes, he needed to buckle down and think about his future. But, he could only take so much of this at a time. And besides, speaking of his future, he had a phone call to make. He packed up his books and notebooks and went out to his car, then checked the time. He was cutting it fairly close, but they should still be there.

He pulled his phone out and called a number that he had never actually called before and wasn’t even sure why it was in his contacts list. His stepfather’s lawyer’s office. “Yes, this is Niklaus Mikaelson. I need to make an appointment to come in and discuss the terms of my trust fund.”


End file.
